The station commander of Ivory Park police, Brigadier David Mbongeni Ngcobo, is concerned about the increasing number of people in the Ivory Park policing area falling prey to fraudulent activities, most of which are committed via cellphones and websites purporting to sell goods.
An Ivory Park man has opened a case of fraud after more than R6 000 was withdrawn from his bank account. His discovery came after he received a call from people purporting to be from a cellphone company, who asked him some questions, after which a SIM swap was made on his phone without his consent. This was then was followed by a withdrawal.
“Several cases of fraud have been opened by people whose monies have been transferred, withdrawn or even items purchased by people unknown to them. In many of the cases, the victims receive phone calls from people claiming to be representatives of a bank, followed by a loss of signal as the victim’s SIM card is being swapped while they are unaware, and then a loss of money, said Ivory Park police spokesperson Captain Bernard Matimulane.
In another case, a man responded to an advertisement of someone selling cattle, went on to pay the money into a given account but never saw the cattle.
“Just as a precautionary measure, people should refrain from giving their banking details to strangers and to immediately contact their financial institution if they receive such strange calls,” said Ngcobo.
He further advised that anyone responding to an online advertisement should first see the product and meet the sellers before making any form of payment with no legitimate proof of existence and reliability.
Details: Contact 08600 10111; SMS Crime Line at 32211; Ivory Park Police Station 011 990 9618.
