The Department of Social Development on Wednesday issued an email scam alert one day after the Department of Public Works (DPW) announced it is “turning the tide on the fraudulent scourge”.
The former warned of a email “from a Mike Baloyi with the email address mike.baloyi@dosd.org.za” that pledged to “register companies as Social Development vendors if they complete and return to them a ‘vendor registration form’ ”.
Baloyi presents himself “as a procurement specialist” for the department‚ which said the “contact details provided…are false”‚ “Baloyi is not an employee” of the department and the “vendor registration form that is circulated…is also a fraudulent document”.
“It is not clear what the scammer aims to do with the company details he/she is trying to solicit‚” the department said.
“The public is warned to not reply to the email or provide any of their personal and company information to the sender of the email.”
The DPW’s statement on Tuesday said a “number of businesspeople have come forward to describe how they avoided being statistics of the rampant fraudulent orders scam after they confirmed authenticity of the order of the tender”.
It warned “about a wave of scams that has increased in the past couple of years‚ preying on both big and small companies by using false addresses and posing as DPW’s employees‚ offering these companies ‘tenders’ ”.
While “four businesses were saved by confirming‚ with the department‚ the legitimacy of the ‘tenders’ that were awarded to them”‚ the “whereabouts of the fraudsters who nearly scammed the companies are unknown”.
The DPW said these crimes “have been reported to law enforcement authorities and police are investigating”.
The department also reported on the loss “incurred by an unsuspecting computer company after they delivered R18-million worth of laptops and computers to a false DPW address in Mpumalanga”.
But‚ in this case‚ there has been some progress in getting justice as “one suspect is facing allegations of fraud and is on trial with charges pertaining to this scam”.
“The modus operandi is almost the same in all cases‚” the DPW said.
“The offenders mask themselves as people who are employees of DPW‚ but they bear names of former or current employees in the department‚ with different contact details under false identity and address as DPW officials.
“They target enterprises and call them with a claim that the ‘Department has awarded them contracts’.”
They fax forged order forms to businesses and ask them to deliver goods to certain addresses. No amount due to the supplier is paid.
Businesses in the Gauteng‚ Mpumalanga and North West provinces “are the most frequently targeted”.
Business can verify all relevant details with the DPW on: 012 406 1463/2046/1439.
‘Wave of tender scams has increased’
The Department of Social Development on Wednesday issued an email scam alert one day after the Department of Public Works (DPW) announced it is “turning the tide on the fraudulent scourge”.
The former warned of a email “from a Mike Baloyi with the email address mike.baloyi@dosd.org.za” that pledged to “register companies as Social Development vendors if they complete and return to them a ‘vendor registration form’ ”.
Baloyi presents himself “as a procurement specialist” for the department‚ which said the “contact details provided…are false”‚ “Baloyi is not an employee” of the department and the “vendor registration form that is circulated…is also a fraudulent document”.
“It is not clear what the scammer aims to do with the company details he/she is trying to solicit‚” the department said.
“The public is warned to not reply to the email or provide any of their personal and company information to the sender of the email.”
The DPW’s statement on Tuesday said a “number of businesspeople have come forward to describe how they avoided being statistics of the rampant fraudulent orders scam after they confirmed authenticity of the order of the tender”.
It warned “about a wave of scams that has increased in the past couple of years‚ preying on both big and small companies by using false addresses and posing as DPW’s employees‚ offering these companies ‘tenders’ ”.
While “four businesses were saved by confirming‚ with the department‚ the legitimacy of the ‘tenders’ that were awarded to them”‚ the “whereabouts of the fraudsters who nearly scammed the companies are unknown”.
The DPW said these crimes “have been reported to law enforcement authorities and police are investigating”.
The department also reported on the loss “incurred by an unsuspecting computer company after they delivered R18-million worth of laptops and computers to a false DPW address in Mpumalanga”.
But‚ in this case‚ there has been some progress in getting justice as “one suspect is facing allegations of fraud and is on trial with charges pertaining to this scam”.
“The modus operandi is almost the same in all cases‚” the DPW said.
“The offenders mask themselves as people who are employees of DPW‚ but they bear names of former or current employees in the department‚ with different contact details under false identity and address as DPW officials.
“They target enterprises and call them with a claim that the ‘Department has awarded them contracts’.”
They fax forged order forms to businesses and ask them to deliver goods to certain addresses. No amount due to the supplier is paid.
Businesses in the Gauteng‚ Mpumalanga and North West provinces “are the most frequently targeted”.
Business can verify all relevant details with the DPW on: 012 406 1463/2046/1439.
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