advertisement
Vodacom
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

Mobile networks warn of payment scams over holidays

As the holiday season gets into full swing, South Africa’s mobile networks have warned subscribers that there are a number of scams out there that will try to extort money from them.

Vodacom stated categorically that it would never demand payment for any outstanding amounts from prepaid customers.

“We wish to put it on record that Vodacom will never call or SMS prepaid subscribers to demand ‘outstanding payments’ as prepaid customers use the service they’ve already paid for in advance,” Tshepo Ramodibe, Vodacom executive head of corporate affairs, said in a statement.

The scam calls mobile customers and demands money, putting pressure on subscribers to furnish the scammers with banking details or make payments into their account, and then send proof of payment to fax numbers.

MTN has also warned against the same thing, and urged subscribers to contact authorities if they suspect any wrongdoing.

“Should a customer suspect irregular activity, they should alert our MTN Customer Operations via our contact centre straight away. We also reiterate to our customers that they should not give out their personal documents or details such as bank accounts and ID numbers,” said Ike Dube, general manager of Business Risk Management at MTN SA.

He indicated that this sort of criminal behaviour is usually rampant this time of year.

“It is a common occurrence that during this time of the year, syndicates devise multiple scams to siphon funds from unsuspecting customers. As part of our customer education drive on this issue, we always instruct our customers that the golden rule is that if something seems too good to be true, or seems suspicious, then people need to be on their guard.”

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

advertisement