Scammers are already targeting South Africans, taking advantage of the festive season’s distractions. Their latest scheme involves impersonating officials from reputable organizations, such as the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), to deceive victims. I recently became a target of this scam when I received a call from someone claiming to be Themba Maseko from ICASA.
The caller informed me that a Telkom number, allegedly registered under my name, had been used for illegal advertising and harassment. He provided the number 068 157 0189, and when I confirmed I had a Telkom line, he shocked me by reciting my full name and identity number without hesitation. That’s when I realized something was wrong.
Maseko then told me that a case had been opened at Moot Police Station in Pretoria and pressured me to go there immediately to clear my name. When I hesitated, he became frantic, insisting I had only two hours before the situation worsened. This urgency was a major red flag, as it’s not typical for police to impose such strict deadlines.
The scam took another turn when Maseko offered to connect me to the police station to handle the matter digitally. I was transferred to someone pretending to be Sergeant Mkhize, who aligned her story with his once I gave her a fake case number. This confirmed my suspicion that I was dealing with a well-organized scam meant to intimidate and manipulate me into complying.
