Sassa warns again of ‘insurance’ scammers trying to steal your social grant
· Citizen
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has warned people who get social grants about scammers pretending to sell them insurance.
This comes after a video was reportedly shared on social media showing a pensioner whose money had been deducted by alleged financial service providers.
Visit forestarrow.rest for more information.
Scammers use the vulnerable to score big
Sassa said the video shows two individuals who were allegedly approached by people from an insurance company.
The alleged victims apparently shared their personal details with these people upon being promised food vouchers and other benefits. After giving out their personal details, money was allegedly deducted from their accounts.
The agency said Sassa officials were not involved in the alleged scam.
Sassa has no authority to make any deductions from social grants without the beneficiaries’ consent. In cases where funeral deductions are permitted by legislation, Sassa follows a controlled process that takes biometric enrolment and consent into account.
“We advise our beneficiaries to be careful who they share their personal details with, especially their banking details. We always conduct beneficiary education to all our beneficiaries on the processes of Sassa and, more importantly, on how to protect personal information,” Sassa CEO, Themba Matlou, said.
ALSO READ: Sassa fraud: 5 officials axed while Joburg office reopens
Guard your Sassa money
Beneficiaries who have requested a deduction from their social grant for a funeral policy and would like to dispute this are advised to urgently send an sms to 34548.
The sms should include their identity number and the financial service provider’s name. In the case where the deduction is made directly by debit order, beneficiaries are advised to contact their respective banks to dispute the debit order.
An old scam
Scammers have been impersonating insurance companies for several months, with one Alberton resident reporting last year that she was being deducted R165 each month without authorisation.