DURBAN - ROBBERS made off with R120 000, laptops and Sassa payments Cards after robbing two South African Post Office (Sapo) branches this week.
On Wednesday, robbers broke into the Glencoe Post Offices wherein laptops and Sassa cards were stolen.
And on Thursday, armed robbers attacked a post office in Howick and stole an undisclosed amount of money.
South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said R120,000 was stolen at the Glencoe Post Office, two laptops with grant application systems and Sassa payment cards.
Sassa suspects their cards are being deliberately targeted for duplication to steal the funds of beneficiaries. It said it was concerned by the rising numbers involving break-ins at Post Offices with the sole intention of stealing Sassa cards.
Godlwana said there is an emerging trend or scam where beneficiaries’ funds are withdrawn from their cards without the beneficiaries’ consent or knowledge.
“It is suspected that this involves duplicating beneficiaries’ cards and then clearing out their legitimate accounts,” she said.
Godlwana said since September 2020, Sassa has been encouraging new social grant applicants to use private bank accounts.
She added that the Sassa cards were designed to protect social grant beneficiaries from unlawful deductions.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said their investigation was under way.
With regard to the Howick incident, Gwala said a case of robbery was opened at Howick SAPS and that the docket would be taken to Hawks for further investigation.
She said a staff member alleged that while she was performing her duties at the business premises In Howick at 3pm on Wednesday, she was confronted by a group of armed suspects.
“The suspects jumped through the small opened window, forced all the staff into the parcel office and locked them inside. They took cell phones and an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene,” she said.
Meanwhile, in a statement Thursday, Gwala said police officers from the Provincial Organised Crime Unit went to the Mona area in Tongaat to execute two search warrants in the early hours of Thursday morning.
She said during one of the search operations, police discovered nine identity documents, nine Sassa cards as well as 12 bank cards.
Sassa said should beneficiaries fall prey, they should do the following:
- Visit nearest South African Post Office Outlet to report the incident;
- SAPO will assist beneficiary to complete the affidavit;
- A beneficiary’s Identity Document and Payment Cards will be copied by SAPO;
- If the investigation confirms that funds were defrauded, the client will be refunded.
THE MERCURY