The Department of Social Development is warning grant recipients to be on their guard against con artists posing as social security officials.
The department said in a statement that Social Development MEC Albert Fritz had received complaints from all over the province about people being phoned by scammers posing as South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) representatives.
The department warned grant recipients never to divulge their social grant details or pin numbers over the phone or email to anybody claiming to be from SASSA.
Sassa is a national entity run by the national Department of Social Development.
In 2015, the provincial department received 96 complaints with 103 cases so far this year. You can report suspected social grant fraud and corruption to the Sassa hotline at 0800 60 10 11 or the provincial department at 0800 220 250.
● Sassa has announced that social grant beneficiaries will be receiving mid-year grant increases, following an announcement made by Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini.
The increases are effective from this Saturday October 1.The affected social grants are older persons grants (under 75 years of age), old age grants (over 75 years of age), war veterans grants, grant-in-aid, child support grants and care dependence grants.
As from October 1 the value of each grant will be as follows:
Old age, under 75 – R1 510
Old age older than 75 –
R1 530
War veterans – R1 530
Grant-in-aid – R360
Child support – R360
Care dependency – R1 510
Foster child – R890
“Social grants have proven to be an effective mitigating factor against rising levels of poverty in our country.
“Elderly people should take absolute care in protecting their Sassa cards and PIN codes against anyone, including loan sharks,” said Ms Dlamini.
She has also urged those who have a funeral policy premium to visit a Sassa office to secure continuation of their policy deductions beyond November this year or call the Sassa toll-free number 0800 60 10 11 as Sassa will stop all funeral policy deductions made against all children’s grants and disability grant from December this year.
