Government

Government warns of new scams

Staff Writer

 ·3 Oct 2019

The Ministry of Finance has warned of a new scam targeting members of the public.

In a statement on Thursday (3 October), the ministry said that a person purposing to be the minister of finance sends emails to members of the public indicating that there are funds amounting to millions of rand at the South African Reserve Bank which should be claimed by the person being contacted.

However, before the claim can be processes and paid, the people being contacted are requested to send their full name and age; their occupation; and their cell phone number.

“The ministry of finance will never email people asking them to come and claim money, nor will they ever ask for the personal details of members of the public,” it said.

“Members of the public are reminded that scams can only ever be successful to the extent that those approached participate in them.

“If members of the public know that they are not expecting any money, then they should restrain from any activity that will put them in danger of losing whatever finances they have. Scams often result in members of the public losing their hard-earned money.”

Labour

In a separate statement, the Department of labour warned the public of a social media scam promising a payout of R30,000.

“Scammers have created a fake Departmental website in which they ask members of the public to check if their names appear on the list of those that are entitled to withdraw these funds,” the Department of Labour said.

“The fake website says workers who have worked between 1990 and 2019 have the right to withdraw R30.000 from the ‘Ministry of Labor and Social Security’.

“The Department wishes to inform the public that it does not have such a benefit – this is simply a scam. People who get benefits from the Department are those that have worked for them or are entitled to receive them.”

The department added that has not asked anyone to come forward to receive any so-called benefits and will never do so.

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