NATIONAL NEWS - The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) warns clients of a new food parcel voucher scam.
On Wednesday, Sassa shared a screenshot of a social media post and urged citizens to be cautious when sharing personal information online.
Here’s what you need to know.
Sassa scam alert
Fake food parcel vouchers
The post – which initially began doing the rounds on Facebook – invited Sassa beneficiaries to apply for “free social relief food parcel vouchers”. Sassa warned:
“The information is fake and does NOT come from Sassa”.
If users clicked on the link, they would have likely been taken to a phishing site. The fraudulent webpage has since been taken down.
Scams targeting beneficiaries have become prevalent of late.
Back in October, Sassa also warned against a post that invited beneficiaries to take their Sassa card and ID document to the nearest PEP.
Beneficiaries were told they would be able to apply for “kids clothes vouchers before 4 November”. This too, Sassa confirmed, was a scam.
When to collect Sassa money
Beneficiaries can start collecting their grant money from today, 3 November. Senior citizens’ grants will be paid out today.
Disability grants will open on Thursday 4 November, with all other grants opening for receipt on Friday 5 November.
However, Sassa said there is no need to “rush to withdraw cash on the first day”. Once the money is in the account, it will remain there until it is needed,” the agency said.
Covid-19 SRD grant report
The Department of Social Development has released a report that looked into the Special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R350 grant.
President Cyril Ramaphosa first announced the special grant in April 2020 as part of the government’s R500 billion stimulus package, after Covid-19 hits the shores of South Africa.
The SRD grant was introduced and aimed at those aged between 18 and 59 years without any source of income support and those facing undue hardships due to unemployment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
