Health department alerts service providers of new scam

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) recently issued a warning to its service providers on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) regarding a new online scam.

It said the warning follows one of their providers being scammed out of funds when fraudsters obtained the company’s details and used a similar email (@gauteng.go.v.za) to contact them.

The correct email of the GDoH is @gauteng.gov.za, which made the scam hard to detect because of the similarities.

“Their modus operandi thrives on giving false hope and promising easy money. They prey on emerging businesses that may overlook simple red flags such as incorrect dates, improper use of government logos, false contact details and links to fake websites,” said Montwedi Botsane, acting GDoH CFO.

The initial contact involves a request for quotation, followed by a notification of a successful bid and a completely fraudulent order.

These orders modify legitimate orders to reflect a fake delivery address belonging to the provincial government or the GDoH and include items such as the address of the delivery or the item being tendered.

In the case the GDoH recently received, 6 80l bins were requested, which led to the supplier searching the web and finding a company titled Sanlon Medical Supplies.

Sanlon Medical Supplies required a 30% upfront payment to secure and deliver the bins. This resulted in a significant financial loss to the supplier in question.

In a similar scam, fraudsters used the names of heads of departments to lure victims.
The department said no heads of department are involved in its tender administration or the contacting of bidders.

“GDoH officials are prohibited from contacting any person or company outside the formal tender processes, particularly on WhatsApp or using unofficial email domains,” Botsane said.

Individuals or companies that receive an email, SMS or WhatsApp message related to GDoH tenders outside the formal tender process are advised to enquire or verify with HealthSCMqueries@gauteng.gov.za.

The department also recently warned job seekers of a scam that seeks to exploit their socio-economic circumstances. The advert dubbed the “Youth Opportunities Hub”, invited residents to apply to study for a diploma in nursing at one of the Gauteng College of Nurses (GCoN) campuses.

It said that it only advertises vacancies or bursaries through official government channels, such as the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Gauteng online portal, official departmental social media sites and mainstream media.

Job seekers should compare the ads they come across on social media against the actual respective government page to verify their authenticity and never pay money in exchange for employment or study opportunities.

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