RICHARDS Bay police are urging the public to take preventative measures and be aware of scams as fraudsters continue to strike on unsuspecting people.
Captain Debbie Ferreira said fraud cases are reported on a weekly basis and more recently they have noted that scam artists are targeting taxpayers.
Members of the public are randomly emailed with false ‘spoofed’ emails made to look as if these emails were sent from the South African Revenue Services (SARS), but are in fact fraudulent emails aimed at enticing unsuspecting taxpayers to part with personal information such as bank account details.
Examples include emails that appear to be from returns@sars.co.za or refunds@sars.co.za indicating that tax payers are eligible to receive tax refunds.
These emails contain links to false forms and false websites made to look like the ‘real thing’, but with the aim of fooling people into entering personal information such as bank account details which the criminals then extract and use fraudulently.
How to protect yourself from fraud and scams
Phishing and fraud scams are methods of deceitfully obtaining personal information such as passwords, identity numbers and credit card details by calling, sending emails or cellphone messages that look like they come from trusted sources, such as banks or legitimate companies.
The simple tips below will help you protect yourself and your family from scams. Scams can cost people a lot of money and cause a great deal of distress.
What you should do to prevent falling victim to scams and fraud:
• Never respond to emails or cellphone messages appearing to be from your bank, which request your personal details. Remember that no bank will ever ask you to confirm or update your account details by email
• Never provide your online ID, password or PIN to anyone and never write them down or share them
• Do not save your Internet banking password on your desktop
• Do not leave your computer unattended after you have entered your Internet banking password
• Always log off or sign off at the end of a session
• Avoid doing Internet banking in public areas such as Internet cafés, or on any computer that can be accessed by people you do not know
• Change your PIN and passwords frequently
• Put sensible transaction limits on your accounts
• Only provide your credit card details to reputable companies
• If it looks too good to be true, it usually is
• Never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust
