At least one person within the Stellenbosch municipal area had been scammed by a person claiming to be a government official assisting those on the housing demand database. This was confirmed by Stuart Grobbelaar, spokesperson for the Stellenbosch Municipality.
The municipality subsequently used social media to warn residents against scammers that make phone calls or send messages to residents instructing them to make payments towards their place on the housing list. The housing list is a register where citizens in need of state-subsidised housing can apply to become a beneficiary.
Stellenbosch Municipality is situated in Ryneveld Street. PHOTO: Liam Abercrombie
“One such case reported to our Housing Office, which led to the municipality deciding to proactively warn residents of this suspected scam,” stated Stuart Grobbelaar, via email correspondence with MatieMedia.
“The [fraudulent] call was made from an individual outside of our municipal area, posing as an official at the Department of Human Settlements,” added Grobbelaar.
“The city urges residents to be aware of scammers wanting to take advantage of vulnerable residents who are in need of affordable accommodation across the metro,” stated councillor Malusi Booi, mayoral committee member for human settlements, via email correspondence with MatieMedia. “If a resident is being asked to pay for a place on the Housing Needs Register, or a plot of land, Community Residential Unit (CRU) or a Breaking New Ground (BNG) opportunity that belongs to the City, it is illegal and it is a scam.”
Stellenbosch Municipality made a post on Facebook warning residents of fraudsters that may attempt to scam people into sending money to the fraudsters. PHOTO: Liam Abercrombie
Residents are encouraged not to share personal information such as banking details or identification numbers over the phone, said Grobbelaar.
“We always remind residents that they do not need to pay to register on the city’s housing need register, or to receive a state-subsidised unit if they are a qualifying beneficiary,” stated Booi.
Cybersecurity Awareness
People can be protected from scams by being made aware of what cyber crimes are and how they can avoid falling victim to scams of any nature, said professor Bruce Watson, chair at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research.
Professor Bruce Watson, chair at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research, discussed the methods that some fraudsters may use to get personal information from individuals. AUDIO: Liam Abercrombie
“The arrival of Covid caused people to spend more time online, which increased the risk of people’s vulnerability to cyber crimes,” stated Watson. “Some things that people should never do is give out their pin code for their bank card, or share an OTP number with anyone.”