Online scams on the rise, warn Richards Bay police

The number of scams reported to police continue to rise daily.

This is the word from Richards Bay SAPS spokesperson Lt Colonel Debbie Ferreira, who confirmed that cases of ‘vishing’, also known as voice phishing, have escalated to alarming levels.

Vishing is when fraudsters telephone a victim, pretending to be from a trusted service provider or their bank.

She said perpetrators aim to get individuals to share their personal and banking information over the phone, or to approve or carry out a transaction that will result in them being scammed out of money.

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“The fraudster often calls claiming to be from the bank to tell you there is a suspicious or unauthorised debit order they want to refund, which is followed by an SMS confirming this,” said Ferreira.

“They will proceed to ask the person to log into their banking app and share their personal log in details, as well as one-time pins.

“They can also trick you into sharing your confidential banking information like card details, online banking passwords or remote pin.

“They then use this information to commit identity fraud or steal your money.

“The bank will never ask customers for their pins over the phone, or to log into their banking apps. Members must end these calls immediately.

“If someone calls and asks you to sign in to your online banking profile or banking app to reverse debit orders or stop fraud, hang up,” urged Ferreira.

The number of scams doing the rounds is endless, and police warn that if it sounds too good to be true, just don’t do it.

Investment and cryptocurrency scams, job scams, romance scams and face product scams remain the most prevalent on social media.
Perpetrators gain their victims’ trust before syphoning funds from them.

The public is encouraged to never share any personal information until having verified whether or not the company is legitimate, and not send money to anyone who has reached out over social media.

Fraudsters often market fake products on social media, which are usually priced at unbelievably low prices to attract victims.

Depending on the nature of the product or service, request contactable references to assist in performing your own background checks, advises the SAPS.

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