Ivory Park police are warning persons selling items of any kind to be extra careful to avoid being a victim of fraud. This after a local man had his vehicle stolen last week by a fraudster masquerading as a buyer. The two parties met online where the vehicle was being sold.
The victim agreed to meet the buyer in Centurion, Pretoria for the transaction. While waiting for the “client,” the victim’s phone reported that money had been deposited into his account. Shortly afterwards a man arrived and the unsuspecting seller, without having verified whether the money was in or not, handed the vehicle and papers over.
“It was only when the seller went to the bank that it dawned upon him that he had been defrauded. As it has become the norm with these frauds, the phone of the supposed buyer stopped working and the victim was added to a growing list of what is now being referred to as a ‘deposit and refund scam’,” said Capt Bernard Matimulane, Ivory Park SAPS communications officer.
For anyone intending to conduct online transactions, the scam works as follows:
A criminal will order goods or show interest on something that is being sold, make fraudulent payment to the bank or alternatively make ‘error in payment for which a refund is immediately requested’. By then he is busy working the unsuspecting victim into handing the goods. And by the time the victim becomes aware of the scam, money or property is gone.
The acting station commander of the Ivory Park SAPS, Col Baba Mpotoane, advised the sellers and procurers of services to make sure that money, in the case of sellers, is indeed in before anyone parts ways with their property.
“Ascertain with your bank whether the money is in your account and make sure that the money is under your control before you hand over your hard-earned belongings to a stranger,” advises Mpotoane. Any information relating to crime please call 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line at 32211.
