Reporter – George C April
Cape Town:- Scammers are once again on the prowl, thistimetargeting vulnerable SASSA beneficiaries in the Gatesville area.
According to information received by Radio 786, individuals posing as representatives from a so-called company named Emerald Life have been offering fake “funeral policies” exclusively to grant recipients. The scammers reportedly claim to be working in partnership with SASSA, using this lie to gain the trust of pensioners and other vulnerable people.
In order to “see what package a person qualifies for,” these fraudsters demand personal information, including ID documents, a clear red flag for identity theft.
Radio 786 confronted one of the so-called representatives, who was seen attempting to pressure an elderly pensioner into signing up. When asked simple questions about the supposed policy, the individual could not provide coherent answers and quickly backed off.
SASSA Western Cape spokesperson Shivani Wahab has confirmed to Radio 786 that SASSA is in no way affiliated with any company offering funeral policies. “SASSA’s only role is the administration and payment of social grants,” she emphasized.
Beneficiaries are urged to be extremely cautious and not to hand over personal information to strangers, no matter how convincing they may seem. Any suspicious activity can be reported to SASSA or the police.
