Windhoek
In an ever-growing insurance industry, new methods and products are regularly introduced to simplify existing ways of serving clients. With innovation come threats and risks, which include room for insurance scams that are becoming increasingly common. Sanlam Namibia recently sounded the alarm bell and is warning its clients and the general public about such continuous initiatives by fraudsters.
Sanlam Group chief executive officer Tertius Stears this week warned the public against falling prey to such fraudsters. “We urge the public to trust their gut feeling if approached with random policy offers from those who claim to be employed by Sanlam. Please ensure that you do not give personal details when prompted. It is unfortunate that there are many that do fall prey and it’s too late once they have engaged with such scams. Annually, we warn our clients and the public. However, such incidences continue to be reported after a client has been robbed of their money,” he sternly warned.
Stears also identified several such incidences that were reported this week by members of the public and clients who alerted and informed Sanlam about these emails. Recent email letters purporting to be from an employee of Sanlam have been circulating and forwarded to targeted individuals. In the e-mail letters, it is claimed that Sanlam now offers personal loans. The email letter further prompts the recipient to provide all personal details, including proof of income, to complete an ‘acceptance form’, and to submit their bank details for a debit order deduction. “If you receive a similar letter or email, please be cautious and don’t hesitate to contact Sanlam,” Stears appealed to the public.
He further pointed out that Sanlam will never ask a client for any upfront payment to process a loan application, will not use a .com email address in its correspondence with clients and noted that spelling and linguistic errors in communication with clients may indicate a scam invitation. He also asked the public to be vigilant and said Sanlam will not use the old Sanlam logo, will not send letters not dated or dated incorrectly. He further said Sanlam does not use letters formatted to ‘Dear esteemed customer’, as the company always sends personalised letters to clients.
He added that Sanlam in Namibia does not offer personal loans. “If you have doubts about the origin of an unsolicited call, email or text message, note the date, time and any number shown of the call or message and contact your nearest Sanlam Office immediately,” Stears advised.