South African Police alert public to WhatsApp impostor scam

Members of the public have been warned by the South African Police Service (SAPS) about a scam that continues to circulate in various provinces.

The scam involves fraudulent letters and phone calls that falsely appear to originate from the SAPS.

“These fake letters, often distributed by means of WhatsApp, bear the police logo and contain the names, contact details of senior police officers and the addresses of legitimate police offices. In some instances, the scammers also use the names of police stations that do not exist,” said South African Police media liaison officer, Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk.

She said that the scammers use this information to deceive recipients into sharing personal details under false pretences. Lieutenant van Wyk said the content of the letters is often tailored according to the victim’s location. Changes are made to names, addresses and contact persons to make the communication appear authentic.

“Also, these WhatsApp messages are preceded by phone calls from individuals posing as police officials, who falsely claim that criminal cases have been opened against the victim. These ‘police officers’ then coerce the victim to pay over a certain amount of money to make his or her supposed case to ‘disappear’,” said Lieutenant van Wyk.

SAPS said community members are urged to remain vigilant at all times:

• Do not respond to these fraudulent messages or phone calls.
• Do not provide or confirm any personal information such as ID numbers, addresses, or banking details.
• Do not pay these ‘scammers’ any money.
• Please note, the SAPS do not communicate with the public by means of WhatsApp or video calls.

Anyone who has received or responded to these fraudulent messages or phone calls are urged to report the matter and open a case at their nearest police station, said Lieutenant van Wyk.