Johannesburg: The South African Police Service has issued a warning to the public concerning a scam that is spreading throughout several provinces. The scheme involves counterfeit letters, complete with the SAPS logo, being sent to various mobile phone users. These letters aim to extract personal information from recipients to carry out illegal activities. Typically, the letters are distributed via WhatsApp and include the names and contact details of senior SAPS officers, as well as addresses of SAPS offices.
According to South African Police Service, the scam is tailored to the location of the target, altering content, names, addresses, and contact persons to appear more credible. In several instances, these fraudulent letters are preceded by calls from individuals pretending to be police officials, informing victims of fictitious criminal cases filed against them. There is a strong advisory for individuals who are targeted not to provide their identity numbers or any other personal data to these con artists.
The SAPS has clarified that they do not engage with the public through WhatsApp or video calls. Victims of this scam are strongly encouraged to report the incident and file cases at their local police stations. For identification purposes, examples of these fake letters have been attached for reference.