A case of fraud was opened at the Midrand Police Station on 16 June following an incident where a woman, who resides in Kyalami Estate, attempted to buy a puppy online and have it transported from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
A spokesperson for the Midrand Police Station, Sergeant Matome Tlamela said, “The complainant was trying to buy a pet from Cape Town only to realise later that there was no pet and it was a money scam.”
Tlamela reported that the complainant made a payment of R4 000 into a bank account for the puppy that she was expecting to be delivered to Johannesburg. “She was told that a courier company would call to arrange a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The complainant received an email the next day from a courier service to say that her puppy was put in the wrong crate for air transport and she would need to transfer an additional R5 200 for a temperature control crate,” said Tlamela.
The woman then made the payment and was called later that day by the scammers to ask for an additional R7 150 for pet insurance. “The complainant then realised that she was being scammed and called to ask for a photo of the puppy, but they refused to send one. When she asked for the name of the company, the scammer said it was Pet Movers, but this was a different company name to the one used in the email.”
Tlamela advises the public to be alert at all times when buying online.
Also check out:
https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/188082/four-more-suspects-linked-to-citys-r28-million-revenue-refund-scam-arrested/
https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/191485/woman-loses-her-money-in-a-scam/
