The SA Post Office (SAPO) has warned the public about an online scam that is doing the rounds and targeting customers.
SAPO’s warning comes after it was flooded with enquiries arising from e-mails and text messages that appear to originate from the national postal service, but are designed to make the receiver pay money into a fraudulent account.
In a statement, SAPO says the messages state the parcel can only be released once a clearance fee has been paid and include a hyperlink to click on.
Should the receiver click on the link, a page requesting payment opens, where the receiver can make a payment to ‘release’ the fictitious parcel, it states, adding that the current website changes appearance and the message it displays.
“The post office sends customers an SMS or a collection slip when they have a parcel waiting for collection at a post office branch,” explains SAPO. “This parcel should be collected as soon as possible to make sure it is not returned to the sender. Post office branches have separate queues for different transactions, so if you collect a parcel, you will go into a shorter, faster queue.”
The post office advises there are a number of ways to spot a fake message or e-mail, stating it never asks for import duties or clearance fees in advance.
It explains that if there are customs fees payable on a parcel from abroad, the client pays the fees when collecting the parcel from the post office counter, pointing out that it never requests customers’ bank account numbers, or an online payment for customs duties.
Furthermore, SAPO states that if the tracking number on the message is invalid when entered into the postal tracking website, then that’s a fraudulent message or e-mail that is not from the post office.
SAPO has encouraged members of the public with any information about postal crimes to contact its toll-free crime-buster hotline on 0800 020 070.
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