Author: Nathan Geffen

Scammers are taking over bank accounts, often by paying account owners for a One Time Pin (OTP). People who have their bank accounts hijacked are called “money mules”. Here we explain why this happens, and what needs to be done. Judith Hawarden must have been excited when she paid R5.5-million to ENS, the attorneys handling the sale of her new house. Unfortunately, she didn’t realise that the email she had received with the bank account details wasn’t from ENS but from a scammer. The email address ended ensafirca.com, not ensafrica.com, and quite understandably she didn’t notice this. Before any of…

We have previously reported that the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant system is being defrauded. Here we explain how weak computer systems at the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Shoprite and TymeBank allowed large numbers of fraudulent grant applications to be made. Shoprite and TymeBank have taken measures to reduce the risk of fraud. SASSA says it has also taken steps to reduce fraud. Their responses are at the bottom of this article. But concerns remain. The SRD grant was introduced during the Covid pandemic to assist people in dire need. About nine-million of these R370 grants are…