How to spot SASSA scams

Scammers know when grants are paid and what people are waiting for. They pretend to be SASSA, a bank or a helper, and they want one of three things: your money, your PIN or one-time PIN, or your ID number and banking details so they can claim a grant in your name. The rules below protect you from most of them.

What SASSA will never do

SASSA’s grant booklet says:

• SASSA will never ask for your PIN, in any contact with you.
• SASSA will never ask for your ID number, banking details or PIN through social media or unofficial websites.
• You should not give personal information to someone who says they represent SASSA until you have checked who they are.

Applying for a grant is also free. Nobody can charge you to apply, to speed up an approval or to get you a higher amount.

How SASSA really contacts you

The booklet says SASSA only communicates with beneficiaries through its verified platforms:

• its website, www.sassa.gov.za,
• its official social media pages, called OfficialSASSA on Facebook and X, and
• its WhatsApp channel on 082 054 0016.

SRD applications and status checks happen on the SRD website, srd.sassa.gov.za.

SASSA also sends SMS messages asking people to come to a SASSA office for a grant review, and asks them not to ignore these: a grant can lapse if you don’t go. A review SMS asks you to visit a SASSA office. Never reply to an SMS with your PIN or banking details.

If you are not sure a message is real, contact SASSA yourself on 0800 60 10 11 before you do anything. Don’t use a number or link from the message.

Common tricks

• A link to “update”, “register again” or “claim” a grant. The link opens a page that looks like SASSA’s and asks for your ID number, banking details or a code. Type the website address yourself instead.
• A fee. Someone offers to apply for you, fix a declined status or get you a bigger grant if you pay first. Applying and appealing are free.
• A call or visit about your card. Someone says they are from SASSA or your bank and asks for your card, your PIN or the code that was just sent to your phone. Hang up or close the door, and contact your bank yourself. If your SASSA card is lost or stolen, see how to report and replace it.
• A “SASSA loan”. SASSA says it does not offer financial services such as funeral cover or loans. A “SASSA loan” comes from a private lender or a scammer, never from SASSA. Don’t hand over your SASSA card or PIN, and check the costs of any loan with our loan cost check.
• A one-time PIN (OTP) request. An OTP sent to your phone approves something, such as a payment or a change to your details. If you didn’t ask for it, don’t share it with anyone.
• Fake news about increases or new grants. Grant amounts are announced in the national Budget, and payment dates by SASSA. Check them on SASSA’s website, www.sassa.gov.za, or see how SASSA pays.

The same rules protect you from scams about NSFAS student funding and job offers: no fees, no PINs, and official websites typed in yourself.

Check a website before you type anything

• Look at the address bar, not the page. SASSA’s websites are www.sassa.gov.za, srd.sassa.gov.za and services.sassa.gov.za.
• A copy of SASSA’s logo or a padlock icon doesn’t prove a website is real.
• Don’t search for “SASSA status” and click the first result. Type the address yourself or use the links on our SRD status guide.

If you shared your details

1. Contact your bank straight away, using the number on your card or the bank’s app, and ask them to block your card or account.
2. Change your PIN and any passwords you shared.
3. If you get the SRD grant and a scammer may have changed your banking details, change them back on the SRD website.
4. Report it to SASSA’s anti-fraud line on 0800 701 701. The booklet says you can report anonymously.
5. If money was taken, report it at your nearest police station and keep the case number.

Keep the messages, phone numbers and links the scammer used. They help your bank and the police.

What you can report

The booklet says you can report fraud or corruption by SASSA officials, and anyone suspected of grant fraud, on 0800 701 701. The same number is the National Anti-Corruption Hotline. You can also call SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 or email GrantEnquiries@sassa.gov.za.

Help an older relative stay safe

• Agree on a family rule: any message about money, codes or secrecy is checked with someone else first.
• Help them save SASSA’s real numbers and websites, so they don’t need to search for them.
• Never keep their PIN for them. If they need someone to collect or manage the grant, they can appoint a procurator with SASSA’s power of attorney form, as gov.za and the booklet explain.

Protect your phone

• Use a screen lock, and don’t let strangers use your phone “to help” with an application.
• Install updates for your phone and apps when they arrive.
• Use a different password for your email, banking and social media accounts.