The police are urgently appealing to the public never to give their personal details to anyone calling them under the pretext that they are calling from the bank’s fraud division.
Warrant officer Eduard Coetzee, spokesperson for the Caledon police, said at least seven cases of this type of fraud have been reported to the Caledon police over the past two weeks.
These scammers, he explained, call their victims saying they are from the bank’s fraud department and that they have become aware of suspicious transactions or large withdrawals from the victim’s account.
“They then ask the person to provide their personal details such as their bank account and ID numbers. As soon as they have this information the scammers withdraw large amounts from the victim’s account.”
Coetzee, however, warned that this was not just limited to banks. “There have also been cases where victims were contacted by people saying they were from the cellphone company. They stated they had noticed irregularities in the account and requested the victim’s personal details to ‘correct’ the error, but instead they used it to defraud the victim.”
Coetzee warned people never to disclose any personal information such as their bank account details or ID and pin numbers over the phone. “If you have doubts, end the call and rather go into the bank or call the bank’s fraud hotline,” he advised.
Scams on social media, said Coetzee, is something else people should be aware of.
He advised that if you wanted to buy something advertised on social media it was best not to pay the money to the seller, but instead arrange to meet in a public space where the transaction can be done.
“And never carry large amounts of money with you,” he warned.
