The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has warned the public to be aware of fraudsters selling SASSA cards on social media.
The agency said it was concerned by the case of a man advertising the sale of SASSA cards on Facebook.
According to SASSA Acting CEO, Abraham Mahlangu, the stolen cards are sold for different amounts of money by the scammers.
“These stolen cards were immediately deactivated and are worthless, so the public is warned not to be tempted to try to buy them as they are useless. No grants can be drawn from the stolen cards and anyone buying them stands to lose out, and if caught, [they] may be charged with possession of stolen property,” Mahlangu warned.
Mahlangu reiterated that SASSA services are free and not for sale.
He also advised social grant beneficiaries to refrain from sending their ID numbers, PINs and SASSA card numbers to strangers, as these are part of the scams to defraud them.
“Selling of SASSA cards is illegal and criminal. Beneficiaries are urged to report such incidents to the police or alert SASSA. SASSA officials will never ask for money to issue a SASSA card. Beneficiaries are reminded to keep their PINs secret and not to disclose their card and ID numbers at all.
“Beneficiaries of social grants need to be extra vigilant as there are many fraudsters who will target the innocent and vulnerable. Beneficiaries should call SASSA on 0800601011 whenever they are offered any service relating to social grants for money, no matter how little the charge is. SASSA is not involved in any other business except the payment of social grants,” Mahlangu said.
The South African Post Office is currently working with the police to get to the bottom of the matter and they are following leads that should result in the arrest of the mastermind behind this scam.
