‘Fraud on increase ahead of silly season’
Be more vigilant this festive season and do not disclose your personal information to anyone.
Fraud is on the increase in the Pretoria inner city, police warned on Tuesday.
Pretoria Central police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe said a woman was defrauded of R5 000 after a mysterious call from a “Vodacom consultant”.
“The complainant alleged that she received a call from an 081 number from a man who identified himself as a Vodacom employee. The man asked her security questions and she answered them,” said Selepe.
When the call ended, the woman realised she had lost the network signal and called Vodacom to find out why.
“She was told her number was blocked so she visited her bank. On her bank statement, it showed that R5 000 had been transferred from her account and a purchase of R400 for airtime [had been made],” said Selepe.
She said police were investigating the matter.
Selepe urged residents to be more vigilant this festive season and not disclose their personal information to anyone.
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“Do not disclose personal information over the internet or on the phone, without knowing exactly who you are disclosing it to and what it will be used for.”
Criminals use their victims’ personal information to assume their identity and access bank, insurance, medical aid or UIF claims illegally.
On Saturday, two people were arrested for possession of car licence discs that did not belonged to them.
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Selepe provided the following safeguards against identity fraud:
– Be cautious when you enter competitions or answer surveys as these can be scams to access your personal information. Criminals also use “Getting to know you” emails to gain the information.
– Be careful what information you provide either on your business website, social media account or in chat rooms.
– Do not leave your personal documents in the car or unattended where they can easily be copied.
– Always shred documents containing personal information instead of throwing them away. Ensure your documents are unreadable before you dispose of them.
– Delete personal information and format the hard drives of your electronic devices such as computers, cellphones and PDAs before you give away or sell to second hand dealers.
– Ensure your personal information is subject to a confidentiality clause and cannot be sold or used for anything other than the specified purpose before you disclose it.
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