Sassa beneficiaries should be alert of the Sassa card scam that is happening in areas like Temba, Stinkwater, Eesterus, Soshanguve and Ga-Rankuwa. Approximately 30 cases have been reported. “Their modus operandi is to visit households during the day and target elderly people aged 70 years and older, claiming to be employed by Sassa,” said Sassa spokesperson, Steve Mabona.
“One of the culprits is a woman, as women are more easily welcomed and tend to be more convincing,” he added.
The fraudsters claim to be conducting a survey of all elderly beneficiaries collecting their social grants at pay points. “They request to see the ID, Sassa card and secret pin of their victim and then hand back a stolen, un-issued Sassa card. When the victim goes to collect his/her social grant, he/she realises that the card is not working and the social grant has already collected by these bogus Sassa officials,” said Mabona.
The majority of the transactions took place in Pretoria Central on Tuesday, 1 October. All affected beneficiaries have been issued with new, valid Sassa cards. “We have also issued social relief of distress in the form of food vouchers to the affected elderly people,” Mabona added.
Sassa states that no official is allowed to request the secret pin from a beneficiary. “We reiterate that this is a scam and that community members should refrain from sharing their IDs, Sassa cards and secret pins with anyone. All Sassa cards are issued at Sassa offices, they are not issued at a residence, unless arrangements for a home visit have been made with the beneficiary,” Mabona concluded.
Beneficiaries are advised to report any incidents to the police. Police are currently investigating the matter. “Sassa is also conducting an internal investigation to find out how these fraudsters managed to get hold of our un-issued Sassa cards,” said Mabona.
