‘Relentless’ housing scams hitting South Africa
The Department of Human Settlements (DHS) has warned the public to be vigilant of relentless housing scams on social media platforms.
Scammers falsely claim to be department employees who can assist with government-subsidized housing applications.
These attacks target citizens who offered RDP houses around the country for R100,000.
The Department said that to qualify for a fully subsidized government house, applicants must meet specific criteria, including being South African citizens, first-time homeowners, and having a combined household income of less than R3,500 per month.
The Department added that applications for RDP/BNG houses can only be processed by the Provincial Departments of Human Settlements and municipalities, and no organization is mandated to facilitate this on behalf of the government.
Thus, citizens have been urged to exercise caution and immediately report suspicious social media accounts to the Department or municipalities.
Citizens can contact the National Department of Human Settlements directly at 0800 146 873 or via email at [email protected], or visit their local municipal offices to verify authenticity and avoid potential scams.
Other scams to keep an eye on
The housing scam warning comes amidst a rising number of nationwide scams.
Ahead of Black Friday, consumers have been told to be careful about scams.
In typical Black Friday scams, goods are advertised at highly discounted prices to lure consumers.
Nevertheless, these goods do not exist, and when the customer makes the purchase, the seller stops responding and disappears with the customer’s money.
Fraudsters often use social media to commit this scam, with Facebook Marketplace being particularly popular for scammers.
Scammers can create fake e-commerce websites or send phishing emails that copy well-known brands. Customers are then tricked into giving personal information and bank details.
These websites may appear to be from well-known retailers, with small deviations in the domain that are hard to spot.
Major South African banks, including Absa, Standard Bank, Discovery Bank and Capitec, have also highlighted the many scams going around the country,
Discovery Bank, for instance, warned about the common “courier scam,” in which clients awaiting a package receive a fake email or SMS requesting a small fee for the release of their goods.
These messages typically include a payment link. Once the client clicks the link and enters their card details (including the card number, CVV, and expiry date), the fraudster gains access to these details.
The scammer uses this information to purchase items online using the victim’s details.
If the site appears secure, clients can even approve a fraudulent payment via InApp authentication, thinking they are paying for the delivery.
Discovery Bank also cautioned against employment scams, which are prevalent now amidst South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
This entails fraudsters advertising employment opportunities, especially on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Victims are requested to pay a small amount to secure a job. After this, they may be asked to make or receive further payments.
The funds they receive are typically from other victims of similar scams and are then transferred to different accounts at the instruction of the so-called employer.
Other scams that the digital bank warned about include fishing, phishing, investment scams and loyalty programme scams.
Loading ...
