The South African presidency has warned people against scammers using President Cyril Ramaphosa’s name to defraud the public.

It said scam messages purporting to be sent by the president have been circulating, warning that the “president does not request any funds or endorse any payments or contracts between third parties, whether through websites, adverts, social media, emails, letters, texts or phone conversations”.

The presidency has not revealed any further details about the nature of the scams or how long they have been running.

We would like to bring to the notice of the general public that there are scam messages purporting to be
sanctioned by the President or The Presidency that have been circulating. pic.twitter.com/BbVUZCrLFq

— Presidency | South Africa (@PresidencyZA) June 21, 2023

It however said that anyone who has received communications of this nature from the president or the presidency should terminate all future contact with the scammers.

Those who have already sent money to the scammers should report to law enforcement authorities, it said.

Cybercrime and cases of impersonation have been on the rise in the country, according to local media reports.