Postbank responds to card cloning scam
POSTBANK has issued an urgent advisory to all social grant beneficiaries following an increase in reports of card cloning fraud.
The bank is calling on affected individuals to immediately report any suspicious activity or suspected card cloning to its fraud department.
This comes after an 84-year-old pensioner from Montclair lost R8400 of her grant in a suspected card cloning scam. The SUN published a story about Laurel Prangley's financial loss last week. To read more click here.
Also read: Help spread the warmth with Pick n Pay's Soup for South Africa campaign
Postbank has urged grant beneficiaries to report suspected fraud and unauthorised transactions directly to its fraud department, which is responsible for investigating and resolving such matters.
'Postbank has implemented a multi-layered fraud prevention framework aligned with banking industry standards and legal requirements under the Banks Act and the Financial Intelligence Centre Act. This includes card chip security, internal controls, and ongoing customer due diligence.
'The creation of robust customer awareness is also amongst the initiatives we are undertaking, given that some bank fraud incidents are perpetrated by criminals through scams that take advantage of customers,' read the statement.
Prangley's daughter Rene Gleisner told The SUN that the issue was discovered in February when her husband attempted to withdraw the pension from an ATM but received a slip indicating insufficient funds.
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 family had visited Chatsworth shopping centre early this year, where two employees believed to be Sassa officials were assisting beneficiaries with the card switchover.
Also read: Pressure mounts for surveillance cameras in crime hotspot areas
However, Postbank stated that it has not yet received a formal complaint from either the pensioner or her daughter.
'No formal report has been submitted to the Postbank fraud department regarding Prangley's card. As such, we cannot confirm any deactivation until the appropriate process has been followed. We have contacted the client and advised her to complete necessary documentation in line with our internal processes to enable necessary investigations,' said Postbank.
Postbank said once an investigation is initiated they:
Take various remedial steps including blocking the compromised card,
Issue a replacement card, and safeguarding account credentials.
'These steps are guided by internal fraud protocols and customer protection measures,' Postbank said in a statement.
In February, Sassa and Postbank announced the transition from the gold card to a new black card system.
Postbank could not comment on whether Prangle's ID or card details had been cloned or compromised during the card migration process.
'This possibility cannot be confirmed without a formal report and investigation. However, the card migration process adheres to stringent encryption and security protocols, including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and chip-based security features, to mitigate cloning risks,' Postbank said.
What steps are being taken to ensure the pensioner receives her next grant payment securely?
Once a report is received, Postbank can implement remedial actions such as account or card blocking, issue a new card, and ensure secure disbursement of future grants.
Is it possible to issue a new card with a different account number immediately?
Once an investigation is initiated, Postbank takes various remedial steps including blocking the compromised card, issuing a replacement card, and safeguarding account credentials.
What is the expected timeline for resolving such issues?
Clients typically receive an acknowledgement and reference number within 48 hours of submitting a valid complaint. The overall resolution timeframe depends on the complexity and available evidence, but regular updates are provided throughout the process.
Does the client receive updates or reference numbers during the investigation?
Once a case is formally lodged, Postbank will issue a reference number and provide ongoing updates to the client throughout the investigation, in line with our customer communication protocols and conduct standards.
For any suspected fraudulent activities, the public are urged to:
Report to Postbank's fraud team via fraud@postbank.co.za
Or call fraud hotline on 0800 53 54 55.
Postbank advised clients who are not satisfied with the outcome of their investigation to escalate the matter to the National Financial Ombudsman.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
17 hours ago
- The Citizen
Sassa grants payment dates this week
Sassa has reassured beneficiaries that immediate collection is unnecessary, emphasising the security of the grant payment system. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has confirmed the distribution timeline for social grants in June 2025, with payments beginning this week across multiple categories serving millions of beneficiaries nationwide. Sassa grant payments begins Tuesday Sassa will commence grant distributions on Tuesday, 3 June, starting with the Older Persons Grant, which amounts to R2 315 per recipient. Disability grants will be paid on Wednesday, 4 June, with recipients receiving R2 315. Grant accounts linked to Older Persons or Disability grants will also be credited on Tuesday and Wednesday. The remaining grant categories will be processed on Thursday, 5 June. These will include: Children's grants Specialised support programs including: Foster Child Grant; Care Dependency Grant, Grant-in-Aid; and War Veterans Grant. ALSO READ: Sassa grants are being paid from next week: Here's when and how much you'll receive Sassa grant amounts across categories The June payment cycle encompasses varying amounts depending on the grant type. Child Support grants will provide R560 per child, While Foster Care grants offer R1 250 per child to eligible families. Care Dependency grants match the older persons and disability grant amounts at R2 315, Grant-in-Aid providing R560 to recipients. War Veterans will receive the highest individual payment at R2 335 per beneficiary during this cycle. Collection methods and banking options Recipients have two primary options for accessing their grants. Beneficiaries can visit designated Sassa pay points to collect payments directly, or they can receive funds through direct deposits into their personal bank accounts. Sassa has reassured beneficiaries that immediate collection is unnecessary, emphasising the security of the payment system. The agenc stated that 'once the money is in the account, it will remain there', encouraging recipients to avoid crowding at pay points on the first day of each payment category. This approach aims to reduce long queues and ensure smoother distribution processes across all collection points throughout the country. NOW READ: More than 200 000 will experience Sassa grant delays — here's why
The South African
19 hours ago
- The South African
SASSA Children's grants for June 2025 payout this WEEK
Here's all you need to know about SASSA Children's grants for June 2025, paying out this week on Thursday 5 June 2025. Every month, billions in social welfare is set aside from taxpayer funds to support financially distressed parents in South Africa. And even though there was some uncertainty over Finance Minister's 2025 budget, the good news is April's above-inflation grant increases have not been reversed. As such, SASSA Children's grants for June 2025 are the most expensive for the government to payout. For example, R560 for Child Support may not sound like a lot, but it's paid each month to roughly 14-million beneficiaries. There are also Foster Care and Child Dependency grants under the Childcare banner. But more about those later… If you are unfamiliar with how the SASSA Children's grants for June 2025 are divided up, here's what you need to know. The South African Social Security Agency administers all child-related social grants. However, you may only claim one grant at a time. And only one parent (if married) may claim a grant per child. There is no limit on how many children you may apply on behalf of though. SASSA Childcare pays R560 per month. per month. SASSA Care Dependency pays R2 310 per month to those with disability under 18. per month to those with disability under 18. SASSA Foster Care for R1 250 to a court-appointed foster parent. SASSA is imploring parents to register with Home Affairs and get their children support from day one. Image: SASSA Better still, the Department of Social Development (DSD) has been imploring young mothers with newborns to make their SASSA applications as soon as possible. It says parents are waiting too long before getting their children onto critical social welfare. As such, we calculated that if a mother puts a newborn onto SASSA Children's grants for June 2025, that child will earn the household roughly R155 500 in government funds. Of course, we can only guess at the annual grant increases. But this conservatively factors in estimated annual grant increases like the 5.7% enjoyed back in April 2025. However, to qualify for any childcare grant, you do have to pass the following means test (there is no asset portion, like Older Person grants): Earn less than R8 800 per month if married ( R105 600 annually). per month if married ( annually). Earn less than R4 400 per month if single (R52 800 annually). Of course, your child must be under the age of 18. And another SASSA rule is you cannot receive more than one grant at same time (like Disability or Older Persons, for example). Applications can take up to three months to be processed however, you will be back-paid to the date of your initial application. If you are denied a Children's grant, you have 90 days to appeal through the DSD. First of all, before you worry about SASSA Children's grants for June 2025, you must register your child with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHome portal. Many parents are not getting their newborn's unabridged birth certificate and identification document early enough, says government. Until they have these, they are not eligible to be loaded onto the SASSA Childcare system. After you have been through DHA eHome, you can make an appointment on the SASSA online portal, before having an in-person meeting with SASSA. Be sure to bring the following documents with you to the appointment: Valid identity documents of you and your spouse (if married). Official birth certificate and ID of the child you're applying for support for. Proof of marital status (via a marriage, birth or death certificate of your spouse). Proof of income (both you and your spouse). An approved three-month bank statement (no more than three-months old). Proof of address (a utility statement with your name on it that's not more the three-months old). SASSA Foster Child grants only go to court-approved foster parents. Likewise, Childcare Dependency grants only go to children who have received the necessary disability approvals from a government doctor. Make note of the rest of 2025's Childcare payment dates. Image: SASSA For application or payment queries you can contact SASSA directly here: SASSA Toll-Free Call: 0800 60 10 11 SASSA Head Office: 012 400 2322 Email SASSA: grantenquiries@ Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
20 hours ago
- The Citizen
Collect your June SASSA grants from tomorrow
SASSA has confirmed that Pretoria grant recipients can collect their payments from tomorrow, with June payout dates now officially announced. Below are the payment dates for Older Person's, Disability, and Children's grants in June: Older Person's Grant 3 June 2025 Disability Grant 4 June 2025 Children's Grant 5 June 2025 All social grants, barring the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, increased in April this year. Delivering the 2025 Budget Speech in Parliament earlier this year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stated that the number of social grant beneficiaries – excluding those receiving the SRD grant – was expected to rise to around 19 million in 2025/26 and 19.3 million in 2027/28 due to a growing population of older persons. Godongwana said that for 2025/26, social grants were allocated approximately R284.7 billion. 'As announced by the President in the State of the Nation Address, the SRD was to be used as a basis for the introduction of a sustainable form of income support for unemployed people. 'The future form and nature of the SRD would be informed by the outcome of the review of active labour market programmes, which was expected to be completed by September 2025. 'The truth was that ours was one of the most comprehensive social safety nets among emerging economies. This reflected our commitment to addressing poverty and inequality, while keeping our spending sustainable,' he said. The grant increases that took effect in April were: Old age grant: increased from R2185 to R2315 War veterans grant: increased from R2205 to R2335 Disability grant: increased from R2185 to R2315 Foster care grant: increased from R1180 to R1250 Care dependency grant: increased from R2185 to R2315 Child support grant: increased from R530 to R560 Grant-in-aid: increased from R530 to R560 In the Budget Review, National Treasury stated that the budget for social grants was increased by R8.2 billion over the medium term to account for higher living costs. 'An amount of R35.2 billion was allocated to extend the payment at the current SRD rate of R370 per month per beneficiary, including administration costs,' the department said. Also read: Is there an outbreak of Staphylococcus in Pretoria? Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
