- Farmers are receiving SMSes giving them banking details to deposit money, claiming their applications for a relief grant can be fast-tracked.
- The department of Agriculture says government would never ask money from applicants.
- It added that farmers who applied have in fact been receiving their outcomes via text messages.
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has cautioned farmers about a Covid-19 relief fund scam doing the rounds.
According to the department, "faceless people" are distributing text messages to farmers calling on them to pay R2 000 as an upfront "fee", falsely claiming they can fast-track their Covid-19 relief fund applications.
The text message reads: "We see that last year you have applied for Agricultural COVID-19 fund of R50 000 we want to process it fast so can you send R2000 so we can process it before December. Capitec Bank W. WALSH Acc no: 1332654701 Branch Code 470010."
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The department said this was a scam, adding that government would never request a payment to deliver its services, especially the agriculture relief fund that is meant to help farmers during Covid-19 times.
"We are appealing to all our farmers to be careful of this fraudulent activities coordinated by unscrupulous and faceless people, 'It is a scam!'
"The department has finalised the adjudication of all applications received from farmers and the process is now closed," the department’s Reggie Ngcobo said on Wednesday.
Ngcobo said successful and unsuccessful farmers were notified via SMSes about their relief fund applications.
Last year Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza said the department would allocate R1 billion to support about 75 000 farmers whose production was disrupted by Covid-19, News24 reported.
More than 55 000 applications were received by the department when the initiative was first announced.
