Your cash doesn't have coronavirus, don’t give it to criminals: Reserve Bank

As fear over the coronavirus grips Mzansi, criminals have taken the opportunity to scam unsuspecting people.

On Monday, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) warned the public about criminals going to homes claiming to be representatives of the bank and telling them to hand over cash as it was “contaminated” with the virus.

In a statement, the Bank said it was not removing any cash from the public.

“These criminal elements carry fake SARB identification and provide false receipts in lieu of the banknotes ‘collected’, which they purport can be collected from any of the banks," said the Bank.

“The SARB has neither withdrawn any banknotes or coins nor issued any instruction to hand in banknotes or coins that may be contaminated with the virus."

The Bank said it would never, under any circumstances, send its employees or representatives to collect cash from the public.

“If members of the public are approached by individuals purporting to be SARB employees or representatives to hand in their cash, they should refuse and contact local police.”

The Bank said there was no evidence that the coronavirus was transmitted through the use of banknotes or coins.

On Monday afternoon, 62 positive cases of coronavirus had been reported in SA.