The SA Post Office has received several inquiries about a new scam designed to trick members of the public into depositing money into a fraudulent account and sharing their credit card details with the scammers.
According to Johan Kruger of the SA Post Office Communications Division, the emails and SMS messages appear to come from the Post Office when in fact they have no connection to the SA Post Office.
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“Clicking on the link in the message takes the user to a payment page where they are asked to deposit money into an account to ‘release’ a package. In several cases, a form is included asking for the card and CVV number on the back.
“The combination of card number and CVV number is required for online purchases. If you share this information with the scammer, they may be able to use your account up to their credit limit.
Here’s how you can spot a message or email that isn’t from La Poste:
- The post office never request import duties or customs clearance fees in advance. If customs charges are payable on a package from abroad, the customer pays these charges when collecting the package at the La Poste counter or when it is delivered by a La Poste driver.
- The post office never asks for your bank account number or an online payment of customs duties.
- The tracking number on the post is not valid when entered on the postal tracking website or refers to a package that was collected years ago.
- The website you land on after clicking is NOT the SA Post Office secure website.
Kruger said the post sends customers a text message or collection slip when they have a package waiting for collection at a post office. This package should be picked up as soon as possible to ensure it is not returned to sender.
Post office branches have separate queues for different transactions, so if you pick up a package, you will enter a shorter and faster queue. ID is required to ensure the rightful owner picks up the package.
“If you have any information about postal crime, please contact the Postal Crime Free Hotline at 0800 020 070.”
