Fake SASSA Status Check Sites: How to Spot One

What are the warning signs?

1. It asks for money. Every SASSA service — applying, checking, appealing, changing details — is free. A fee of any size, for any reason, means it is not SASSA.
2. The address is not sassa.gov.za. Official pages sit on srd.sassa.gov.za or sassa.gov.za. Lookalikes use hyphens, extra words, or endings like .co.za, .org, .net and .info.
3. It asks for your PIN, banking login or the OTP SASSA just sent you. SASSA never asks for these. The OTP is what lets someone change your banking details.
4. It promises approval. Nobody can approve, unblock, reinstate or prioritise a grant. Decisions are automated database checks.
5. It contacted you first. SASSA replies to messages you send. A WhatsApp, SMS or call that arrives unprompted offering help is not SASSA.
6. It wants a photo of your ID or your face outside the official portal. Identity verification happens only through a link SASSA sends to your registered number, opened on srd.sassa.gov.za.
7. It pressures you. "Only today", "your grant will be cancelled in one hour" — urgency exists to stop you checking.

Why do they want my ID number?

Your ID number plus your phone number is enough to attempt real harm:

• Apply for a grant in your name and have it paid into their account. You then see an existing grant or application already active status on your own application.
• Redirect your payment by changing the banking details on your real application, if they can also intercept your OTP.
• Open credit accounts in your name, which can leave your ID flagged with the fraud-prevention service and decline future grant months.
• Sell the details on to others who do all of the above later.

This is why an ID number is worth stealing even though it is printed on a document you carry.

How do I check a site before using it?

1. Read the address bar, not the page. A page can copy SASSA's logo, colours and wording exactly. The domain is the part that cannot be faked. It must end in sassa.gov.za.
2. Type the address yourself rather than following a link from a message, a social post or a search advert.
3. Check what it asks for. The real status page asks for your ID number and registered phone number. Nothing else.
4. Look for a fee at any step. If one appears, close the page.

What if I already entered my details?

1. Do not pay anything, and stop replying.
2. Check your real status on https://srd.sassa.gov.za/sc19/status and look for months you do not recognise.
3. Check your banking details on the official banking page and correct them if they have changed.
4. Change your SRD phone number if you shared an OTP or think your number is compromised — see changing your phone number.
5. Report it to SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 (Monday to Friday, 08:00–16:00) with the website address or number that contacted you.
6. Protect your ID with a Protective Registration through the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service on 0860 101 248 or safps.org.za. It warns lenders to take extra care with your details.

If a month is later declined because of a flag that is not yours, that decline can be appealed within 90 days.

Is every non-SASSA site a scam?

No. Sites that explain how grants work — including this one — are not scams provided they are honest about what they are. The line is simple:

This site never asks for your ID number, banking details or SMS codes, and every status check here links to SASSA's own portal. Read our disclaimer and editorial policy.

Common questions