THE South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has warned the public of a fake social media advertisement claiming there is a grant for unemployed people. According to SASSA, the advert claims that unemployed citizens can apply and receive a grant of R2 200 per month.
In a statement SASSA said, “SASSA wishes to place on record that there is no such thing as an unemployment grant or voucher that it distributes and that the advertisement wasn’t produced by government. SASSA condemns the peddling of this fake news with the contempt it deserves.”
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This comes as Stats SA has recently revealed that the unemployment rate rose to 27.5 per cent in the third quarter of this year.
SASSA went on to say, “The authors of this fake news could be criminals who are trying to scam vulnerable and unsuspecting members of the public. The public is warned not to download the form that comes from the fake website on the advertisement as this could lead to possible identity theft. Government websites do not end with co.za and the public has to read such fine details in order to identify some of these scams.”
The public is also warned not to provide strangers with their personal documents such as ID and proof of residence. If something sounds ‘too good to be true’ please verify with SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 before taking action.
SASSA is investigating the matter with a view of taking legal action against shameless scammers trying to rob the poor.
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