It is important for the public to remain vigilant and not fall for tender scams as these are meant to defraud participants of their money.

This warning comes after the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) noted the latest scam on WhatsApp where an individual pretending to be the GDoH’s Head of Department asking recipients of a tender-related message to make contact regarding the so-called opportunity.

The public should note that Heads of Departments are not involved in tender administration or directly contacting bidders. GDoH officials are not allowed to contact any person or company outside the tender processes, especially on WhatsApp or using private domains instead of Gauteng Provincial Government’s official domain (Name.Surname@gauteng.gov.za). 

The modus operandi of these kind of schemes is that they thrive on giving false hope and on the promise of easy money. Usually, the scammers are counting on the public especially emerging businesses not being able to pick up simple red flags such as, a wrong date, the usage of wrong government logos, false contact details, links to fake websites etc. 

Should any individual or company receive any Email, SMS or WhatsApp message pertaining to GDoH related tenders outside the tender process they are advised to make an enquiry with us on HealthSCMqueries@gauteng.gov.za.