ERMELO – Eugene van der Westhuizen, a resident, recently shared a post on the South African Community Crime Watch Group and brought to light a potential scam targeting unsuspecting residents in town and beyond.

The post, claiming to be from the ‘Government of South Africa’, alleges the initiation of a R1 100 child support fund for all South African parents.

‘President Cyril Ramaphosa’, in the statement purportedly urges the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to open the Child Support Scheme due to numerous complaints about the high cost of feeding children in the country.

The message further encourages South African parents to apply for the cash transfer with a link provided for application [https://tinyurl.com/SA-Parents-Child-Support-Fund].

Van der Westhuizen urged the public to exercise extreme caution and skepticism regarding such messages.

The government has not officially announced any such child support fund, and this appears to be a fraudulent attempt to exploit the financial vulnerabilities of parents.

He urged residents not to click on the provided link or share any personal information.

Scammers often use deceptive tactics to collect sensitive data or make unauthorised financial transactions, leading to identity theft and financial losses for unsuspecting victims.

Residents are advised to report such messages to the local authorities and to refrain from engaging with any links or providing personal information on untrusted sites.