scam Archives - Voice of the Cape

Gift of the Givers warns public of employment scams

By Lee-Yandra Paulsen In the Western Cape, a deceptive scam is exploiting vulnerable individuals by falsely posing as representatives of the Gift of the Givers (GOTG) Foundation, claiming to offer employment opportunities within the organisation. During an interview with VOC Breakfast on Tuesday, Gift of the Givers project manager Ali Sablay addressed the issue, stating, "It is unfortunate we still have people in our communities trying to scam the vulnerable […]

30 July 2024

Local

Job hunting: How to identify red flags

By Quanita Kamaar If you are unemployed and feeling the pinch of not earning an income, recruitment experts are cautioning job seekers to be wary of bogus recruitment campaigns. When registering with a job recruitment agency make sure that the company has a positive track record and is recognised. Working with reputable agencies can help safeguard you from being exploited as a job seeker. "As a recruitment agency we go […]

12 July 2024

Local

Sassa warns of scam trying to access your personal details

LOCAL The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has warned those who receive, or are applying for, the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant to be careful who they share their personal details with, and to always check their contact details on the system are correct. The agency issued a statement after its customer care unit in Mpumalanga received several calls from people who receive the grant, complaining that […]

21 October 2022

Local

SAPO warns of ‘customs’ e-mail scam

LOCAL The festive season is nearly upon us and with it may come parcels from overseas. Be careful, if you are expecting a package, not to fall for a scam pretending to be holding up your parcel at customs. The South African Post Office (Sapo) has warned of an e-mail doing the rounds claiming parcels are being retained due to outstanding customs fees. The e-mail encourages the receiver to click […]

18 October 2022

Local

Want to apply for a RDP house? Don’t fall for this scam

The Western Cape human settlements department has warned residents about a housing scam being shared on social media. The con surfaced on several Facebook accounts. It asked citizens to either pay a deposit or holding fee to be approved for a house from government. The department said one victim had recently been fleeced of more than R2,000. “The latest victim the department is aware of was scammed of more than […]

21 September 2022

Local

Don’t fall for this scam offering ‘trainee traffic officer’ jobs in Cape Town

The City of Cape Town has warned job seekers not to fall for a fake “trainee traffic officer” job advert circulating online. The advert claims the city is seeking to employee trainee traffic officers. According to the corporate services directorate, this is an old advert issued by the city in 2016 that was closed in May of that same year. Mayoral committee member for corporate services Theresa Uys said the […]

28 July 2022

Local

Western Cape police crack down on everything from weapons and dagga to romance scams

Western Cape police have made a number of arrests in the past few days with charges ranging from unlawful possession of firearms to organised crime. According to W/O Joseph Swartbooi, Atlantis police on Thursday participated in an integrated operation. “The members responded to information and approached and searched an identified address. They confiscated two handmade guns, ammunition and dagga. Two males aged 41 and 21 were arrested and charged with […]

24 July 2022

Local

Bogus prison wardens targets family of inmates

By Qudissiyah Kasu Bogus prison wardens are targeting the families of inmates by calling them up and telling them that they could secure the release of inmates for a nominal fee. The Western Cape Regional Commissioner Delekile Klaas said that it has come to their attention that there are individuals who have contacted people to collect release money of inmates. Klaas made it clear to the public that if someone […]

19 February 2020

Local

SA is seeing a new WhatsApp scam outbreak: here’s how to protect yourself

Scammers are separating helpful South Africans from their money in what appears to be a wave of fraud that relies on hijacking WhatsApp accounts – and then simply asking for money. The scammers first take control of a victim's phone number, usually by porting the number to a new service provider, and so associating it with a SIM card under their control. That allows them to receive confirmatory SMSes from […]

13 January 2020

scam

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