Report scams to the police as soon as possible
When in doubt, phone a customer care or call centre number you yourself are able to find, advises SAPS Tshwane district spokesperson, Johan van Dyk.
Phishing and OTP vishing scams are the most prominent scams reported by the banking industry, according to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabrics) report released at the end of 2022.
It is not only the banking industry, but cellphone service providers that see these types of scams commonly reported.
These types of scams attempt to trick people into providing personal information to the scammer.
In the case of OTP (one-time pin) scams, a user might receive a call claiming that someone is attempting to perform a SIM swap on the user’s number.
The caller asks the user to give them the OTP received by SMS, which they will then use to gain access to user accounts.
SCAMMERS SOUND VERY PROFESSIONAL AND CONVINCING.
The number received is a real PIN that is generated only when someone is trying to access an account.
The scammers use the OTP to access your account to buy and transfer your points/airtime and or data to themselves.
Tshwane district SAPS spokesperson, Johan van Dyk said victims should report the scam to their service provider and the police as soon as possible.
“They must print all the relevant documents from their service providers, such as their cellphone service or bank, including any SMSs or other messages received,
OTP or SIM swap notification so that the police can open up a fraud case that can be investigated.”
SUSPICIOUS SERVICE PROVIDER
Van Dyk said people should be vigilant and suspicious of anyone claiming to be from their service provider if they did not seek them out.
“If you receive a message from your service provider, they must not open any links or share the OTP with anyone over the phone.
“If you open a link, the scammers can gain access to your handheld device, or even computer. So if you get something like that, you should go into the physical shop of your service provider or call the official service provider’s call centre number.”
He said that any service provider that calls, or sometimes even pays you a visit at your house saying they need to do something on your property, should be treated with suspicion.
Van Dyk said that this has happened in Tshwane before.
“If you did not phone and report a problem, do not allow them into your house.
“If they give you a number and tell you that you can talk to that person to verify, do not fall for it.”
When in doubt, phone a customer care or call centre number you can find yourself, advised Van Dyk. “Don’t just take any phone number from someone.
“I know people get a fright when they receive a message saying that their bank details have been shared, or an SMS saying that a large amount has been withdrawn, giving you a link to check.
“Rather cancel your bank card and contact your bank or service provider. That way they can do a proper investigation.
“If you report it to your service provider, they can report it to the police and the police will investigate.”
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