Crooks are using technology to rob social grant beneficiaries of their grants, the South African Social Services Agency (Sassa) has revealed.
In the past few months, the Daily Dispatch has been inundated with complaints from social grant beneficiaries who claim there have been unauthorised debit transactions on their accounts.
Upon inquiring about these transactions at the East London Sassa offices, they were informed the money was used to buy prepaid services such as airtime and electricity.
Sassa spokesman Kgomoco Diseko said unauthorised debit orders were done on a cellphone using a beneficiary’s card number via e-mail marketing, using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) technology.
“They dial a combination of numbers as well as star and hash digits,” said Diseko, who added that the criminals would have to have had access to the Sassa card number to do this.
Grant beneficiary Anthony September, 65, of Pefferville, said that between June and November his R1410 grant money has been short of amounts between R300 and R700.
“I went to the Sassa offices in East London, where an official told me that the money taken out of my account was used for buying airtime and electricity.
“I am shocked and cannot understand how payments can be done on my card by someone else when the card was with me all the time,” he said.
September said he was given a reference number and the cellphone number of the alleged perpetrator, but the number was out of service.
Another beneficiary from Mount Fletcher, 70-year-old Eustacia Sokana, said her social grant money was on two occasions short of R50 and R99.
“I was told by a Sassa official that the money was used to buy airtime and electricity.
“I know of many others faced with this problem,” said Sokana.
Cambridge police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi confirmed police were investigating a fraud case that was similar to September and Sokana’s claims.
Diseko said in an attempt to curb these unauthorised transactions, Sassa has developed a dispute resolution mechanism that assists beneficiaries who encountered these problems.
Diseko said when a case of unauthorised deduction was reported to them, an investigation was conducted and, should it be established that the deduction was made without the beneficiary’s consent, Sassa assisted in reversing the transaction.
“Beneficiaries have to monitor their accounts and immediately report card abuse to Sassa.
“Whenever unauthorised debit orders are discovered, Sassa assists beneficiaries in reversing whatever undue charges they have experienced.”
Diseko said the only deductions permissible by law were for funeral policies and the requirement was that the beneficiary should provide Sassa with the contract they signed with the financial services provider.
It was also important that beneficiaries did not share their card details with anyone else.
To report such incidents call Sassa’s toll-free number: 0800-60-10-11, or contact a Sassa office.
High-tech crooks gun for pension grants
In the past few months, the Daily Dispatch has been inundated with complaints from social grant beneficiaries who claim there have been unauthorised debit transactions on their accounts.
Upon inquiring about these transactions at the East London Sassa offices, they were informed the money was used to buy prepaid services such as airtime and electricity.
Sassa spokesman Kgomoco Diseko said unauthorised debit orders were done on a cellphone using a beneficiary’s card number via e-mail marketing, using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) technology.
“They dial a combination of numbers as well as star and hash digits,” said Diseko, who added that the criminals would have to have had access to the Sassa card number to do this.
Grant beneficiary Anthony September, 65, of Pefferville, said that between June and November his R1410 grant money has been short of amounts between R300 and R700.
“I went to the Sassa offices in East London, where an official told me that the money taken out of my account was used for buying airtime and electricity.
“I am shocked and cannot understand how payments can be done on my card by someone else when the card was with me all the time,” he said.
September said he was given a reference number and the cellphone number of the alleged perpetrator, but the number was out of service.
Another beneficiary from Mount Fletcher, 70-year-old Eustacia Sokana, said her social grant money was on two occasions short of R50 and R99.
“I was told by a Sassa official that the money was used to buy airtime and electricity.
“I know of many others faced with this problem,” said Sokana.
Cambridge police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi confirmed police were investigating a fraud case that was similar to September and Sokana’s claims.
Diseko said in an attempt to curb these unauthorised transactions, Sassa has developed a dispute resolution mechanism that assists beneficiaries who encountered these problems.
Diseko said when a case of unauthorised deduction was reported to them, an investigation was conducted and, should it be established that the deduction was made without the beneficiary’s consent, Sassa assisted in reversing the transaction.
“Beneficiaries have to monitor their accounts and immediately report card abuse to Sassa.
“Whenever unauthorised debit orders are discovered, Sassa assists beneficiaries in reversing whatever undue charges they have experienced.”
Diseko said the only deductions permissible by law were for funeral policies and the requirement was that the beneficiary should provide Sassa with the contract they signed with the financial services provider.
It was also important that beneficiaries did not share their card details with anyone else.
To report such incidents call Sassa’s toll-free number: 0800-60-10-11, or contact a Sassa office.
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