Sector hub · 17 contact pages
Verification Contact Pages
This section covers one question in many forms: is this contact detail genuine? Every page here works from the same principle. A contact detail is only official if it appears on the organisation’s own website, reached by typing the domain yourself. Search results, directories, group chats and messaging profiles are not evidence, however convincing they look. Below are the pages for each situation, and the reporting routes if verification came too late.
Start here
- How To Check If A Phone Number Is Official: the core method, step by step, and the two things that prove nothing.
- Verify Contact Details South Africa: how the check differs for emails, domains, WhatsApp numbers and banking details.
- How To Verify A Contact Number: the official anchor and escalation body for each sector.
- How To Avoid Fake Contact Numbers: building a verified list so the emergency call never happens.
Reporting routes
| Body | Contact | What it handles |
|---|---|---|
| South African Police Service | 10111, or any station | The criminal case and case number |
| Your bank | The number on the back of your card | Blocking accounts, attempting a recall |
| SAFPS | 011 867 2234, protection@safps.org.za | Protective Registration, free, where ID details were exposed |
| ICASA | 012 568 3000, consumer@icasa.org.za | Conduct of a licensed telecoms provider |
| FSCA | FSP Search on fsca.co.za | Whether a financial services provider is authorised |
Order matters when money is involved. The bank comes first, because a recall only succeeds while the funds are still in the receiving account. The SAPS case number comes next, because nearly every other process asks for it.
If you have been targeted
- Report A Scam South Africa: which body handles which kind of loss.
- Identity Theft Contact Details South Africa: the response when your identity rather than your money is taken.
- Protective Registration South Africa: the free SAFPS filing and the three ways to apply.
- Report Cybercrime South Africa: where online offences are reported.
Scams by type
- Fake Contact Numbers South Africa: the four channels fraudulent numbers are planted through.
- Fake SASSA SMS And Grant Scams: grant messages, cloned portals and fee demands.
- Fake SASSA WhatsApp Number: why a SASSA chat is never SASSA.
- Banking Scam Prevention South Africa: protecting accounts and cards.
- Change Of Banking Details Scam: invoice interception, the most expensive of these frauds.
- Company Impersonation Scam South Africa: how a convincing impersonation is assembled.
- Check If Online Store Is Legit South Africa: verifying a retailer before paying.
What never to share
Across every page in this section the same short list applies. Never give out a one-time password, a PIN, a card CVV, banking login details, or remote access to your device, and never pay into a personal bank account. A genuine agent needs none of them. Once a channel is verified, your account or reference number, the dates and a factual summary are enough. See What Not To Share With Customer Care for the detail.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check that a contact detail is genuine?
A contact detail is only official if it appears on the organisation’s own website, reached by typing the domain yourself. Search results, directories, group chats and messaging profiles are not evidence.
Who do I report to first when money has been taken?
Your bank comes first, on the number on the back of your card, because a recall only succeeds while the funds are still in the receiving account. The SAPS case number on 10111 comes next, because nearly every other process asks for it.
What is SAFPS Protective Registration?
A free SAFPS filing for when your ID details have been exposed. Contact SAFPS on 011 867 2234 or protection@safps.org.za.
What should I never share with a contact centre?
Never give out a one-time password, a PIN, a card CVV, banking login details, or remote access to your device, and never pay into a personal bank account. Once a channel is verified, your account or reference number, the dates and a factual summary are enough.
Reporting routes last verified 18 August 2026 against saps.gov.za, safps.org.za, icasa.org.za and fsca.co.za.
All Verification contact pages
17 verification pages on ContactDetails.co.za. Listed A–Z below.