Scams being reported around South Africa.

MTN: sms warning

Recent South African community report: a smishing message impersonates MTN, offering a free data gift linked to a recent Bafana Bafana goal to entice the recipient to click a phishing link. No specific URL was visible in the source snippet.

Court Services Center Court Document Lure: email warning

Recent South African community report: an email falsely claims a Letter of Demand has been issued and pressures the recipient to click a “View Court Document” link, likely for phishing or malware. No specific destination URL was visible in the source snippet.

South African Banks Financial Institutions: phone call warning

SAPS/SABRIC warn that fraudsters phone victims pretending to be bank officials or service providers and use social engineering to extract confidential information.

South African Banks Financial Institutions: email warning

SAPS/SABRIC warn about phishing, vishing and smishing in which fraudsters impersonate banks or service providers to obtain banking credentials and other confidential information.

EU Entry Exit System Schengen Visa Services: email warning

Kaspersky reported phishing emails targeting tourists applying for Schengen visas, including English-speaking users, with a fake EU-style site asking for a “migration declaration” and passport scans.

SASSA: social media warning

Scammers claim SASSA offers large small-business grants, e.g. R150,000, R250,000 or R350,000, and invite people to apply.

SASSA: whatsapp warning

Messages claim SASSA payments have been suspended/frozen/cancelled for the month due to budget cuts or system problems.

SASSA Postbank: whatsapp warning

Fake Gold Card deadline messages warn that a card expires urgently unless the beneficiary visits a branch or takes action immediately.

SASSA: phone call warning

Scammers phone beneficiaries pretending to be SASSA agents and ask for an OTP to “verify” or “fix” an account.

SASSA: whatsapp warning

People on WhatsApp claim they can apply for SRD grants or fix a beneficiary’s status through personal cellphone numbers, then request ID numbers, banking details, OTPs or PINs.

SASSA: sms warning

Messages claiming to be from SASSA ask recipients to click a link to verify a grant, update details, or claim a payout.

SASSA: whatsapp warning

Viral messages claim the SRD grant has increased to R700 or similar amounts and invite beneficiaries to act via unofficial messages.

Unknown Prize Payout Offer Targeting South Africans: suspicious website

ScamChecker has a South Africa-targeted report for an unsolicited R2,000 claim message. The message says “I thought it was fake 😂 but I actually got the R 2,000, try it” and includes a URL. Although the report is older than the last few days, the site was crawled recently and the exact scam URL is published in the report.

ejmfg[.]buzz/nqkdzxXB/za-en?0614796784070482981&s=wa&

MTN: sms warning

ScamChecker, a South Africa-focused scam reporting site crawled on 2026-10-06, lists a reported “Fake MTN Data Gift Scam” that offers a free data gift tied to a Bafana Bafana goal. The listing describes it as a classic smishing attempt impersonating MTN.

FNB: phone call warning

FNB’s latest-scam page, crawled on 2026-10-06, highlights remote-access fraud: callers claiming to be from FNB offer to help install software on the customer’s PC or ask them to call the bank to release a payment. FNB warns it will never ask for OTPs to reverse pending transactions or block a profile.

SARS: sms warning

SARS’s phishing guidance also warns about false SMSs and states SARS will not send hyperlinks to other websites, including bank sites, nor ask for credit-card details. The page was crawled on 2026-10-06 and remains relevant during the 2026 tax season.

SARS: email warning

SARS’s scams and phishing page, crawled on 2026-10-06, warns taxpayers that SARS will never request passwords, OTPs, banking PINs or eFiling credentials through email, SMS, social media or telephone. SARS lists recent scam examples such as fake High Court summonses and assessment notices, and describes spoofed emails that claim refunds and lead to fake forms/websites collecting banking and tax details.

SASSA: website warning

A SASSA payment/status site crawled on 2026-10-06 warns that anyone asking for payment in connection with SASSA grants is a scam, while listing October 2026 grant-payment timing. This overlaps with grant-payment-period scams targeting beneficiaries.

SASSA: sms warning

The same 2026-10-06 SASSA fact-check specifically flags SMS messages saying to click a link to verify a SASSA grant, update details, or claim a payout. It says such links are phishing and can harvest ID numbers, passwords and banking details or install malware.

SASSA: whatsapp warning

A SASSA-focused fact-check updated on 2026-10-06 warns that fake SASSA messages are circulating on WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok, including false claims about grant increases, fake WhatsApp application numbers, SMS verification links, fake SASSA websites and fake business grants. It states SASSA does not WhatsApp/SMS links, call for OTPs, charge fees, or use non-government domains for grant applications.

SAPS Facebook Marketplace Vehicle Sellers: social media warning

SAPS reported on 2026-10-04 that victims responding to Facebook adverts for vehicles and taxis were lured to premises in Jouberton, then confronted by men posing as police. Victims were accused of being linked to gold-bearing material/diamonds, threatened with arrest, and forced to hand over cash or make bank transfers; in some cases bank cards were taken and used for purchases.

Suspicious website

A reported page that may be imitating a trusted brand.

mmilegal[.]co[.]za/public/amazon/login[.]php