IN SHORT: Various Facebook pages are posting links for applying for and checking updates to grants from the South African social security agency. But Sassa has warned the public to only trust communications that come from the agency's official platforms.
A Facebook page called Grant Aid Hub has posted a link for applying for the social relief of distress (SRD) grant, which is disbursed by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). This page posts links to various supposed grants from South Africa and Nigeria, along with adverts for jobs in Canada and links where one can apparently apply for help to get international visas.
Similar posts can be found here, here, here, and here - all of which lead to websites not affiliated with Sassa. They all seem suspicious - but are they?
What is the social relief of distress grant?
The Covid-19 pandemic, which started in early 2020, had a devastating impact on the world's economies. A 2022 report by the World Bank showed that the pandemic and measures to try to control it caused a great deal of harm to economies, in the private and public sectors and for businesses and individuals. It also made financial inequality worse, particularly in emerging economies.
The South African government introduced the SRD in May 2020 to help people with low or no income. The grant pays R350 a month to eligible applicants and, at time of publication, continues to support members of the public between the ages of 18 and 60 who have insufficient means but are not already beneficiaries of other Sassa grants.
Sassa grants key to social security net in South Africa
Many of the links in the suspicious posts redirect the user to websites that are not Sassa-affiliated or end in ".com" and ".gov". Since Sassa is a government agency, their website would use the South African government extension, which ends with "gov.za". This is reserved for government websites. It is suspicious that the links in question are to non-government websites.
Other links from these posts lead to websites that require you to click multiple links, all of which feature ads for unrelated products. This appears to be a type of pay-per-click advertisement, which is when advertisers pay the website every time you - willingly or accidentally - click on the advertisement that pops up when you open or browse the website.
Some of these websites linked to, although not official South African government websites, also feature the same form as the one found on Sassa's official website. The form requires all of the details you could use to apply for an SRD grant or log into the account linked to an existing SRD grant. However, since the suspicious websites are not official, the user has no way of knowing if the information will be submitted to Sassa or could be used for identity fraud.
Sassa grants are one of the South African government's social security nets, giving money to those that meet the criteria without requiring any repayment or labour in exchange. This makes them enticing to many, including those that don't meet the requirements to receive the grants, legally. But this poses a threat to those that really need the funds.
Targeting the needy
In September 2023, South African news site Daily Maverick reported that scammers were using people's identity numbers to create "ghost accounts" and receive SDR payments illegally. If the people then tried to apply for the grants, the Sassa system would show that they were already receiving the payments.
Furthermore, according to a News24 article published in January 2024, some SDR beneficiaries had received messages asking them to confirm their cellphone numbers. This is one of the key ways Sassa communicates with grant recipients.
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These media reports show how widespread this issue is. People who qualify for and are in need of the state's financial aid are easily duped by fake social media pages and phishing scams.
A warning from Sassa
Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi told Africa Check: "For accurate information and to avoid misinformation clients are advised to only use official Sassa social media platforms for information on social grants and any changes thereof."
Links to Sassa's official Facebook and X accounts are listed on its website. Letsatsi also advised the public to contact Sassa's toll-free customer care line on 0800 60 10 11 to verify the accuracy of information.
