Pensioner loses over R8000 of her Sassa grant
QUESTIONS have been raised about the recent programme launched by Postbank and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to transition from old cards to a new card system.
Also read: No double grant payments for June, Sassa confirms
The mounting concerns come after an 84-year-old pensioner has been left without her social grant for three consecutive months after her pension card was allegedly cloned during the transition to the new Postbank card system.
Laurel Prangley from Montclair has had a total of R8400 fraudulently withdrawn from her account at various locations, including a recent withdrawal of R2700 in Richards Bay without her knowledge or authorisation.
Despite repeated attempts by her family to report the issue to Sassa and Postbank, the matter remains unresolved. Prangley's grant has not been reinstated.
Her daughter Rene Gleisner said the problem was discovered in February when her husband attempted to withdraw the pension, and received a slip indicating insufficient funds.
'I called Sassa immediately to report the matter and asked them to block the card, but they failed to do so. In March, the money was withdrawn again, and then again in April,' she said.
In February this year, Sassa and Postbank announced the transition from the gold card to a new black card system.
She believes the fraud may be linked to the card transition process. 'It's suspicious that this started while I was changing my mother's Sassa gold card to the new black Postbank card,' she said.
The card was allegedly cloned in Chatsworth
The family had visited Chatsworth shopping centre, where two employees believed to be Sassa officials were assisting beneficiaries with the card switchover.
'I followed all the procedures and was told her next grant payment would be deposited into the new account. That never happened. I reported the card again last week to the fraud helpline, and they assured me that it has been blocked,' she added.
The ordeal has taken a toll on the elderly woman's health and dignity. 'She has a disability and relies on her grant to purchase medication. We've been passed from pillar to post without any resolution,' said her daughter.
Authorities have yet to confirm how the card was cloned, but in February Sassa issued warnings about ongoing scams targeting pensioners receiving payments at the post office.
Prangley's family is calling on Sassa to act swiftly to secure her account and reimburse the stolen funds. They say the financial strain of covering her medication and personal expenses is becoming unsustainable.
Sassa issues advice to the affected family
KZN spokesperson for Sassa, Sandy Godlwana, said the customer care will follow up and investigate.
'They will advise the client accordingly how she can be assisted. The gold card though is a Postbank card,' she said.
Godlwana said the client needs to:
Report immediately, go to her bank
Make an affidavit at a police station
Visit Postbank to report the incident in detail.
Attempts to get a comment from Postbank were unsuccessful.
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