The Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters. File picture: Oupa Mokoena, Independent Newspapers
THE MINISTRY of Small Business Development has warned members of the public and businesses to avoid falling prey to fake social media accounts that purport to belong to Deputy Minister Dipuo Peters.
In a statement, spokesperson Cornelius Monama said it appears there is a well-coordinated plan by con artists to target small business owners by impersonating the leadership of the Department of Small Business Development.
“A similar scam targeting Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was discovered a few weeks ago,” Monama said.
“The ministry has also discovered several fake Facebook and LinkedIn accounts that purport to belong to the Deputy Minister (Peters). These fake accounts are created by fraudsters whose sole intention is to defraud innocent citizens and gullible individuals. They are using the name and position of the deputy minister to solicit money from poor and struggling ordinary South Africans in exchange for non-existent funding or favours.”
Government has “strongly” condemned the fraudulent use of the deputy minister’s identity and pictures to create fake accounts whose purpose is to scam innocent citizens, especially small business owners.
“We wish to reiterate that neither the minister (Ndabeni-Abrahams), deputy minister (Peters), nor any official of the department will ever request ‘upfront fees’ from members of the public in exchange for accessing funding or business opportunities,” said Monama.
“Members of the public are urged to be vigilant and not allow themselves to fall prey to these criminals.”
Small business owners are reminded that no business funding or deal can be facilitated or concluded by the department, its leaders, or officials on social media.
“In addition, the minister and deputy minister never get involved in disbursing funds, as these are administrative processes that are handled by relevant officials within the department,” said Monama.
“Anyone who has already fallen victim to these fraudsters is urged to report the matter to the police as soon as possible.”