SCAMMERS are finding new ways to prey on residents in Durban North and Umhlanga, with the elderly often among the hardest hit.

Daryl Oliver, public relations officer of the Durban North and Umhlanga Community Policing Forum (CPF), said the two most common scams circulating are so-called vishing calls and WhatsApp one-time pin (OTP) fraud.

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“In the vishing calls, scammers pretend to be from your bank’s fraud department. They are extremely convincing and often armed with a lot of your personal information. With WhatsApp OTP scams, fraudsters try to log into your account and then call you, asking for the OTP under the pretext of it being linked to a competition, a video conference, or something similar,” he said.

“What makes these scams so effective is the social engineering. The fraudsters know how to pressure people into acting quickly. Although the elderly are frequent victims, we are seeing people of all ages being targeted,” he added.

The CPF, working closely with SAPS, sends out regular alerts to residents to raise awareness.

“We’ve had a few success stories where people spotted the red flags and stopped the scammers before they could strike,” he said.

He urged residents to stay vigilant and remember some key safety rules.

“Never share your OTP with anyone over the phone. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into acting immediately. If in doubt, end the call and rather phone the official number for the company, or reach out to someone you trust.”

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