Beware of the new South African Post Office Scam

A new South African Post Office scam is doing the rounds in 2024. And here’s how you can protect yourself against it. SAPO’s joint Business Rescue Partners (BRPs), Mr. Anoosh Rooplal and Mr. Juanito Damons, say they’re concerned about its prevalence.

Specifically, they’ve seen an increase in reports of fraudsters claiming to represent the Post Office and attempt to mislead the public. These take the form of emails and SMS messages which appear to originate from the Post Office.

SOUTH AFRICAN POST OFFICE SCAM

Most often the message will say: “Due to an incorrect address on the goods label, our postman is unable to deliver your order. Please update the delivery address within 24 hours otherwise we will return the parcel.” This is then attached with a phishing link which you MUST NOT CLICK.

Those who have been duped by this South African Post Office scam click the link and are sent to a fraudulent payment page and asked to deposit money into an account to ‘release the package’. A very realistic looking banking form asks for the users’ card number and CCV number on the back. If scammers get ahold of your card number and CCV number, they will be able to make online purchases up to your card’s limit.

FALSE FEES

Another noted South African Post Office scam says: “Package delivery in South Africa. Your Package has arrived in South Africa. To receive it, please pay the delivery charges within 7 days. Failure to do so may result in the package being returned to the sender.”

Note that the South African Post Office will never ask for import duties/clearance fees to be paid online. If customs fees are payable on a parcel from abroad, you will pay these fees when collecting the parcel from a SAPO Post counter. Likewise, the Post Office will never ask for bank account numbers or CVV numbers.

If you have any information about these South African Post Office scams or any other postal crimes, you can contact SAPO’s toll-free crime buster hotline: 0800 020 070.

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