To keep you updated, w​e are publishing samples of some of the notices and messages scammers are sending to the public using FIC branding and logo to dupe you into believing that the FIC sent you the e-mail.

Common tactics that scammers will use to get you to part with your money include:

•     Promises of instant wealth
  
•     Asking you for your bank account details to deposit winnings for a competition you did not enter
•     Scare tactics and emotional messages to convince you to part with your personal details and money
  
•     Requesting you to pay a sum of money to release a large amount of pent-up funds from a benevolent donor or organisation.

Be wary of these and similar types of messages and do not respond to them at all. Delete them and mark them as spam using your email service provider. 

Remember, if the message sounds like a way to make easy money and too good to be true, it should not be trusted! A legitimate credit/loan provider will not ask you to pay upfront "fees" to access credit; do not do it - they will keep coming back and asking you for more. Do not pay courier/clearance fees for parcels you did not order. 

Also, if you have received what you think is a scam message, e-mail it to on scams@fic.gov.za, and it could appear on our website to warn other potential victims.

If you have been a victim of a scam; please open a case at your nearest police station.

DO NOT SEND MONEY TO STRANGERS, YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR MONEY BACK.​

Read up on some of the scam messages that we have received from members of the public below:​