Paarl police have cautioned residents, following an increase in fraudulent activities in recent months, not to be misled by people through links in their emails, SMS messages, and social media. These, once clicked on, lead to fake websites aimed at stealing personal and financial information.
This according to Paarl police spokesperson Captain Louise du Plessis, who warned residents not to click on unknown links, for this is how several mobile users have been defrauded.
“The reported crimes are linked mostly to banking scams where one is contacted by a person representing one’s bank telephonically or via SMS, informing one there are fraudulent activities taking place on your account (mostly credit cards).
“One has to provide banking details to reverse or stop the transactions. Once this information is provided one’s money is stolen from the account.
“The public should never open links they receive via SMS or email if they are not familiar with the company or product.
“The important lesson for any person who does not want to become a victim of cyber crime is to ensure you do not say yes to any form of transaction or purchases without establishing the authenticity of the person who you are dealing with online.”
Specialist private investigator Mike Bolhuis said in a recent statement that another prevalent form of deception is a “work-from-home” scam orchestrated by cunning fraudsters preying on job seekers’ trust and financial vulnerability.
“With the rise of remote work opportunities, individuals increasingly seek employment from the comfort of their homes.
“However, amid the legitimate job offers one also finds sinister schemes designed to exploit unsuspecting individuals.”
Bolhuis said scammers typically target potential victims through enticing advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook and other online forums.
“These ads promise lucrative work-from-home opportunities with seemingly reputable companies, often in industries such as construction, customer service or administrative roles.
“Once contacted, the scammers request personal information such as CVs, IDs, and, crucially, bank account details under the guise of legitimate hiring procedures.”
After successfully gaining the victim’s trust. the scammers present a plausible scenario in which the victim handles financial transactions on behalf of the company.
This may include disbursing supplier payments, processing employee salaries or distributing commissions.
“Unknown to the victim these transactions are part of a larger fraudulent scheme, such as a Ponzi scheme, where stolen funds are laundered through unsuspecting individuals’ bank accounts,” Bolhuis pointed out.
He advised job seekers to be more proactive about vetting companies who contact them via SMS or email and exercise the necessary caution.
“Legitimate businesses have a verifiable online presence, including official websites, contact information as well as reviews from employees or customers.
“Be wary of providing sensitive information such as ID numbers and bank account details without conducting thorough due diligence on the employer. If the job offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
