The festive season is a time for giving, but it’s also a time when fraudsters are on the prowl.
With the festive season in full swing, the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) is warning of an increased risk of financial abuse targeting women and persons with disabilities during the holiday period in South Africa.
The festive season is a time for giving, but it’s also when fraudsters are on the prowl.
Scammers are persistent and use a variety of tactics to trick people, including malicious texts and emails, websites impersonating known brands, posts on social media, visual discovery platforms, discussion forums, and more.
Precautions
DWYPD spokesperson Cassius Selala urged women to take extra precautions.
“Financial abuse during this period includes controlling access to money, misusing incomes or social grants, forcing debt in their names, or exploiting their economic dependence. During the festive season, many perpetrators may intensify these tactics, leaving women and persons with disabilities financially trapped in debt.”
Selala also urged women and persons with disabilities to remain vigilant, emphasising that economic abuse is recognised as a form of domestic violence under South African law.
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Financial abuse
The department urged vigilance during the festive season.
“We must recognise that financial abuse is not only an economic violation; it is a form of control and intimidation used to silence women and persons with disabilities. During the festive season, when financial pressures increase, so does the risk.
“We encourage families and communities to be vigilant, supportive, and protective of the rights of women and persons with disabilities,” Selala said.
Denied access
Selala stressed that women and persons with disabilities are often denied access to their own salaries, bonuses, savings, and government benefits during this period.
“Many are also pressured to cover holiday expenses while partners or family members misuse household funds.”
Calls
To address this growing concern, the department called for:
- Increased community awareness on recognising and reporting financial abuse.
- Closer collaboration between government departments, banks, and social services to detect and prevent financial exploitation.
- Protection of social grants and income from misuse by partners or family members.
- Strengthened economic empowerment programmes for women, especially women with disabilities.
“This festive season, we remind South Africans that GBV [gender-based violence] is not only physical. Financial control is a powerful tool of oppression. Let us work together to ensure women, especially women with disabilities, remain safe, supported, and financially independent,” Selala said.
The department has urged anyone who suspects financial exploitation to report it to the relevant authorities.
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