Telkom billing refund scam

[Ann Williams]

Hi Everyone

The scams continue....!

I have just received a letter from the "Telkom SA Billing & Tariff Inspectorate" telling me that they have had a look at my business account and have seen that I have overpaid Telkom R6 804,80 over the last year.

And that Telkom, in all their loving kindness is going to refund me this money through an electronic transfer. ALL I have to do is send them my banking details to 086 691 0901.

It's a scam so please don't fall it!

How do I know this:
1. There is nothing stopping Telkom just crediting my account.
2. Telkom already HAS my banking details.
3. The e-mail address is not to a @telkom.co.za
4. Their contact, Mr John Moyo, only gives a cellphone number (and of course it is never answered - you can't even leave a message).
5. The mail is addressed to "Accounts". Even for a business, when you fill in the forms to start with, the name of the contact or responsible person is always given - so why isn't it used here.
6. The amount they spoke about is about the same amount as my telephone bill for the year anyway. And with the way Telkom bills, I have seen from my account that their billing was correct. So I know that no mistakes of even a fraction of that amount have been made.

AND

7. The telephone number they refer to is INCORRECT.

I work from a home office where I have three telephone numbers. My business telephone line is used as a FAX line (with the number 667 6223) while incoming calls are received on an alternative telephone number (667 6633), but which is still on our home phone line. It is shown like this in the telephone directory listings and in any contact details that I give out.

However, the letter referred to the 667 6633 number as being the company number!!! (It is actually registered under my husband's name.) So I KNOW that they are NOT Telkom. They probably got the details from the directory services database.

So this brings me to the question of what are they actually getting up to?
Is it a scam to get your banking details on top of all the other details they already know - and then to somehow go to the bank to fleece you out of money.

Or is it that they will do some kind of "oops, we over paid you, please can you send us a whole lot of money back" - only for the poor sucker to find they haven't paid you a cent, but now you have given them a whole lot of dough instead.

Who knows. But please be warned - it is a scam!!!

If you get an fax or e-mail from the 'Inspectorate' either ignore it, or go straight to a Telkom customer services office and show it to them.