Grant recipients hit by ‘Christmas’ scam

THE South African Social Security Agency has warned thousands of government social grant recipients not to be fooled by a “Christmas competition” scam.

Fraudsters are sending text messages to beneficiaries asking for their ID numbers, Sassa card numbers and pin numbers in order to stand a chance of winning R1 500 in a competition, Sassa spokeswoman Sandy Godlwana said.

The text message sent to beneficiaries states: “Dear Sassa client, you are selected in our Christmas draw 10 out of 100 clients can win R1 500 that will be in your account the 1st December 2017.

“Please urgently reply/SMS to enter in [sic] the draw your ID no, last 4 digits of card no & your pin. Lucky Christmas draw . . . Sassa Head Office.”

Godlwana warned beneficiaries not to respond to the message, as the agency was not running any Christmas competition.

She said this was not the first time beneficiaries had been targeted.

She said Sassa made a point of making beneficiaries aware of such dangers during this period. “It is unfortunate that many of the scam victims are old people.

“We are making a plea to the elderly not to trust the wrong people and to first inquire from our staff before making any decisions concerning Sassa grants,” Godlwana said.

The agency was notified by the Department of Social Development last Thursday that there was an SMS scam doing the rounds to social grant beneficiaries.

Godlwana urged beneficiaries to delete the messages, saying Sassa officials would never ask for their secret pin or card numbers.

“Some beneficiaries have already given their information, including their ID numbers.

“Beneficiaries are reminded to keep their pins secret and not to disclose their card and ID numbers at all,” she said.

“Our customer care unit in the [Buffalo City] region has so far received eight calls from beneficiaries regarding this scam since Friday.

“Beneficiaries of social grants need to be extra vigilant during this time of the year as there are many fraudsters who will target the innocent and vulnerable.”

No arrests have been made in the matter, but Sassa is working with law enforcement agencies.

“Beneficiaries should call Sassa on 0800601-011 whenever they are offered something that sounds too good to be true.

“Sassa is not in business – owing to the fact that its mandate is limited to paying social grants,” Godlwana said. —