Social grants are a lifeline for millions of South Africans who rely on these payments to meet their basic needs. However, some grant recipients have been exposed to scams that can result in deductions from their grant payments, leaving them with less money to cover their expenses.
To address this issue, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has introduced a new process to help people dispute unauthorised deductions from their social grants.
According to the agency, the process is quick and easy and can be done through an automated system. To dispute an unauthorised deduction, grant recipients should send an SMS to Q-link on 34548 with the following information:
- Topic: Dispute
- ID Number
- Name and surname (as they appear on the ID)
- FSP Name: The company you are lodging a dispute against
- Duration of the policy: How long has the policy been deducting
- Reason for dispute: I never had a contract/misrepresentation
Once the SMS has been sent, Sassa will automatically process the dispute and investigate the matter. If the deduction is found to be unauthorised, Sassa will ensure that the money is refunded to the grant recipient.
Sassa has encouraged all grant recipients to take advantage of this process if they believe there have been unauthorised deductions from their social grants. By doing so, they can protect their right to receive the full grant amount and ensure that they have the necessary funds to meet their basic needs.
This new process is likely to lessen the risky burden of scammers as it gives grant recipients a way to protect themselves from financial exploitation.
