Scams are destroying South Africa

Scamming has become a second job in the lives of many South Africans. 

South Africa consumed by the highest unemployment in the world has become a hotbed for extortion and scams. Citizens living in the same Country confined to and protected by the same Constitution have stooped so low, bringing harm to each other and diminishing the country. 

Recently, a post circulated on social media featuring a confrontation between a man and woman and two men regarding a rental issue. According to the post, the couple received an advertisement for a property to rent and paid a deposit. However, when they arrived to move in, they were reportedly denied access to the property. The caption claims the individual involved resides on Edgemead Street at Wimbledon Way and is accused of scamming people by advertising rental spaces and requiring deposits for future move-in dates. It is stated that, on the designated day, the individual provided multiple excuses and prevented the couple from moving in, resulting in a failure to refund the deposit.

Common Scams found in South Africa today:

Advance Fee/ Deposit:

You are advised that you need to provide a payment such as a deposit, tax, or service fee for a transaction or service to be provided.

Change of Banking Details:

A scammer contacts you pretending to work for your bank, or other organisation.

Investments / Trading:

You are encouraged to take up a fake investment opportunity by a fraudster using technical financial lingo & numbers to impress you

Malware & Phishing:

A link is emailed or SMSed to you. You innocently click on the link which then loads the malware onto your device.

Money Mules:

The misuse of a bank account by the account holder, in order to transfer or move illegal funds on someone else's behalf.

Online Shopping scams:

A scammer creates a fake online store, or imitate a popular online store you often shop at, advertising popular goods and services. The scammer may also advertise specials via internet browsers such as Google or Edge, or social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) to fool you into visiting the fake online store.

Porting Cell Number/ Sim Swops:

A fraudster, pretending to be you, calls your cell phone service provider and asks for a new SIM card or to transfer your number - also called “porting” - to a new service provider. The fraudster will then have access to any OTP (one-time password) or 2-factor authentication requests sent to your number.

Romance/ Online Dating scams:

A scammer uses social media or dating applications to gain your trust and may even enter your life intimately, then uses this trust to extort funds by emotionally abusing and/or blackmailing you.

Vishing:

A scammer contacts you by phone, pretending to be from government, a financial company or other trusted institution, and asks you to provide or confirm personal information. This information is then used to defraud you.

Ancestry Scams:

The scammer manipulates and abuses local African culture and beliefs to scam you out of your funds.

Commodity Scams:

Scammers pretending to be high profile businesspeople in the mining sector, invested in the precious metals, gems and other valuable commodities, arrange a ‘chance’ meet-up after profiling you in advance. The scammer entices you into purchasing a precious gem or stone containing valuable metals.