The FAIS Ombud has warned SASSA grant recipients, particularly older people, about unauthorised funeral policy deductions and urged consumers to remain vigilant against potential scam
The Office of the FAIS Ombud has warned SASSA grant recipients, particularly older people, about reports of unauthorised funeral policy deductions from their grants and bank accounts.
This comes as the Ombud says it has seen a steady increase in complaints from elderly consumers who allege they were approached by insurance intermediaries offering food vouchers, competition entries or financial product quotations, before being asked for personal and biometric information that was later used to process premium deductions.
"In other complaints, the complainants submit that they were tricked into accepting a DebiCheck SMS authentication. This allows the premium deduction to be made directly from the complainant’s bank account. Complainants can also be tricked into signing policy forms, which include a debit order authorisation."
The Ombud added that it investigates these complaints and seeks to resolve them where possible.
