The Unlimited uncover SIM card scammer – customers be aware!

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a rise in scam-related crimes and other fraudulent activity across South Africa. We at The Unlimited want to warn our customers about a known scammer operating in and around the greater Durban, Pietermaritzburg and South Coast areas in particular.

We can confirm that Mr Eugene Dumisani Dzana has been posing as an Unlimited sales agent – defrauding customers with a SIM card scam.

“We believe in shifting people’s lives and it is of the utmost importance to us to protect the members of our family with the truth, thus we are wanting to make our customers as well as other South Africans aware to prevent this from happening again,” says Wayne Mann, Executive: Legal, Risk and Compliance at The Unlimited.

Dzana is acquiring Unlimited SIM cards and is using these cards to facilitate a ‘SIM swap’ for customers whilst promising them a better offer. There are currently five pending cases of fraud opened against Mr Dzana.

• Dzana approaches you by offering you an amazing deal! You are then asked to hand over your phone, so a SIM swap can take place to activate the new SIM. The existing SIM card is then taken out and replaced with an inactive SIM card.
• You are then left with an inactive SIM card and evidently, no network! You often won’t realise that you have been scammed until much later.
• During the time that you are waiting for the ‘new’ SIM card to activate, Dzana accesses your banking details. The authentication is done via SMS or your banking app using your original SIM card that is now in Dzana’s possession.
• Your funds are then transferred to his personal bank account.

We’ve been made aware that his fraudulent activities are currently continuing in the Pietermaritzburg area. Dzana initially targeted our customers with whom he had an existing relationship, however, is now targeting people on all networks.

“We need our customers, especially in the Kwa-Zulu Natal region, to be aware of the risks. We believe in protecting and bettering the lives of our customers; thus, we ask that any information relating to Dzana’s whereabouts be brought to our attention,” continues Mann. We will work with the authorities to have him arrested and prosecuted.

Our customers and other fellow South Africans must please take careful note of the following if approached by anyone claiming to work for The Unlimited:

• An Unlimited agent will NEVER ask you to let them put a new SIM card in your phone.
• If you have an Unlimited SIM card, our sales agents will also never approach you to replace that card.
• Never hand over your SIM card to anyone, even when you are doing a SIM swap.

We are offering a R20 000 reward for information that leads to the successful arrest AND prosecution of Eugene Dumisani Dzana.

Please email information concerning Dzana’s whereabouts, as well as your contact details, to: RiskCompliance2@theunlimited.co.za




Please email information concerning Dzana’s whereabouts, as well as your contact details, to: RiskCompliance2@theunlimited.co.za

EDITORIAL CONTACT:
Aurelle Franks

• Engage Joe Public
• aurellef@joepublic.co.za
• 082-560-6672

Tania Retief

• Communications & PR Leader
• The Unlimited
• tania.retief@theunlimited.co.za
• 082-450-9295