Scam warning posted

The SA Post Office has warned the public about a parcel delivery scam in which a caller poses as an employee of its customs division.

The caller claims a parcel is ready for collection once money for customs duties and courier fees is paid into an account.

The victim is directed to a fake Speed Services website. One giveaway is the UK phone number with a +44 prefix.

The victim is given a PIN they can supposedly enter on the website to “track” the fictitious parcel.

The SA Post Office does not use PINs for its tracking service, nor does it ask customers to make a bank deposit before releasing a parcel. Import taxes are paid at the post office counter when an item is collected, and the customer will get a receipt. A post office customer might get an SMS notification of a parcel ready for collection, but the message won’t ask for a bank deposit.

The SA Post Office has asked those with any information about the scam to call the police or its crime buster hotline at 0800 020 070.