The South Africa Post Office (Sapo) has warned the public of a parcel delivery scam designed to defraud them.<\/p>\n
“Members of the public receive an emailed letter from a company purporting to be affiliated to \u2018Speed Messenger Services\u2019 using an adaptation of the Post Office\u2019s Speed Services logo.<\/p>\n
“The letter demands payment for import duty on parcels before the parcels can be delivered,” the Post Office said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Post Office has assured the public that it does not require customers to make any payment before parcels are released.<\/p>\n
“If VAT or any other fees are payable on a parcel, this is paid at a Post Office counter at the time when the parcel is collected. The customer will receive a valid receipt for this payment,” the Post Office said.<\/p>\n
In cases where the Post Office has the cellphone number of the recipient, the customer will receive an SMS requesting him or her to collect the parcel at a specific post office branch. The SMS will not request that funds be deposited into an account.<\/p>\n
Members of the public that have information regarding this scam, are requested to call the SA Police Service or the Post Office\u2019s crime buster hotline on 0800 020 070.<\/p>\n
The Post Office advises the public to ignore communication of this nature.<\/p>\n