IOL reports that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has issued warnings to its clients and the wider public about new scams gaining traction on social media.

The Fund said in the latest message that was circulating, scammers were claiming that an amount of R21,785 was ready to be paid out, but this could only be done once a person had paid them a “UIF registration and clearance” amount of R298.67. “Applying for UIF benefits is a free service, and the fund will never require a client to pay for fast-tracking a claim,” UIF said. To fight the scam, UIF advised that it had introduced a payment verification process before money was released into the bank accounts of claimants. “This step has been introduced to prevent fraudulent claims. The verification process will unfortunately delay the release of payment into claimant’s bank account with five or 10 days after the payment is approved. However, we wish to assure claimants that efforts are made to fast-track this process so that they won't have to wait for too long,” UIF said. Earlier, the Department of Employment and Labour warned the public to be vigilant about yet another scam titled “youth employment programme”. In it, scammers promised to reward participants in the so-called programme with ridiculous stipends. But, before this could happen, a potential participant had to pay a deposit fee at one of the retailers and also furnish personal details.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brenda Masilela at IOL

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