Sassa Fraud: 10 People Arrested and Appear in Court for Defrauding Agency of R1.8 Million

• Ten people were arrested for allegedly defrauding the South African Social Services Agency (Sassa) of R1.8 million
• The group of suspects, aged between 27 and 58, appeared in the Malmesbury Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 15 February
• Meanwhile, Postbank plans to improve the information technology challenges that have cost Sassa greatly

WESTERN CAPE - Ten people arrested for defrauding the South African Social Services Agency (Sassa) appeared in the Malmesbury Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 15 February.

The suspects, aged between 27 and 58, were arrested on Monday, 13 February and Tuesday, 14 February. The investigation began last April following claims that a group of individuals defrauded the agency.

Police spokesperson Bonnie Nxumalo told The Citizen that the individuals from the Eastern Cape and Western Cape allegedly submitted fraudulent medical documents to apply for disability grants at the Sassa offices in Malmesbury.

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Nxumalo said the suspects were allegedly assisted by another person who is not a Sassa or health official who ‘recruited’ the individuals for a fee.

He said the fraudulent activities were conducted with the help of a Sassa employee. The illegal activities cost the agency more than R1.8 million.

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Meanwhile, Postbank plans to improve the information technology challenges that have been rife with cyber-attacks. The issues caused Sassa to stop or reverse payments in some instances, EWN reported.

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Briefly News also reported that the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) rubbished claims that it is hiring 160 000 workers.

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This comes after an advert began circulating on social media calling on people aged between 16 and 35 to apply for a vacancy. The post suggested that the jobs pay salaries between R176 310 and R207 681 yearly, with benefits.

Taking to Twitter, the agency urged South Africans to be aware of the “fake news” and said if citizens have doubts about a post, they should clarify the information at a Sassa office or by calling the customer care number.

Source: Briefly News