CAPE TOWN - The ministry of finance on Tuesday warned South Africans against scams which purport to be communication from the ministry asking for money in return for backing projects or business plans.
In a statement, the ministry said that in the latest of these scams, a person purporting to be the finance deputy minister has been asking people on Facebook for money in return for funding their projects.
“This person also asks for people’s full names, ID numbers, as well as home addresses. Neither the ministry nor national treasury assists individuals or businesses with the funding of their projects or business plans,” the ministry said.
“The ministry reiterates that such scams can only succeed to the extent that members of the public have an unquenchable thirst for easy wealth. Fellow South Africans who are forever looking for opportunities for making easy money become easy prey for such scams.”
The ministry also urged the public to recognise scams by being extra vigilant of emails asking for bank account information, credit card numbers, driver’s licence numbers, passport numbers, information about members of your family, and other personal information.
“The e-mail or SMS advises that you have won a prize even though you are not aware of having entered any competition run by the prize promoters. The e-mail may be personally addressed to you but it has been posted using bulk mail sending facilities to many others locally and internationally,” the ministry warned.