Durban - The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans has slammed those who are creating fake Facebook, Linkedin and other social media sites.
Earlier this week, the Ministry issued a statement stating that they have noted the fake social media accounts supposedly belonging to Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
"We wish to unequivocally distance ourselves from those rogue social media pages and profiles," Ministry spokesperson, Joy Peter, said.
She said the fraudsters solicit cash or funding in exchange for tenders, job opportunities and business related favours at both the Departments of Defence and Military Veterans.
"This is nothing but a trick to scam people out of their hard-earned money. The public is therefore advised not to respond to online pages that are fraudulently impersonating Minister Mapisa-Nqakula, or even pay anything if requested," she said.
Peter said Mapisa-Nqakula did not have social media accounts, does not communicate with members of the public through social media nor does she conduct business transactions of any kind on social media platforms.
"For official communication and sharing of information on policies and government programmes, she uses reputable mainstream media platforms. Members of the public are warned against falling prey to this ongoing scam. The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans does not expect any form payment or funding from anyone that is interested in available opportunities at both the Departments of Defence and Military Veterans," she said.
Peter said if members of the public are contacted by any of these fake accounts, they are urged to block them or contact the Ministry via [email protected]