Police in the east of Pretoria have warned of a spike in fraud relating to online sales and scammers posing as bank personnel after more than 15 such cases were reported with them in July.

The Boschkop police spokesperson Sergeant Yeroboam Mbatsane says the majority of fraud cases relates to the sale of vehicles advertised via social media.

He says a man in Silverlakes, east of Pretoria, lost R65 000 in a vehicle sale scam.

“A close friend introduced the victim to a salesman who offered to sell him a brand new VW Polo worth R90 000. After meeting the salesman, the victim was convinced, and he deposited R65 000 cash electronically.

“He then waited for the delivery which never happened,” Mbatsane says.

Mbatsane says when the victim tried to follow up, the ‘salesman’ could not be found.

Fraudulent sales were not only advertised online, but also in newspapers.

“These include romance scams, fake lottery and investment scams.”

Bank-call fraud also continued to be a problem in the area, Mbatsane warns. Over the past two months, many residents lost money in a ‘bank call’ scam that targets individuals with bank debit orders.

“The scammers call people and say they are bank personnel from the bank’s fraud department. They inform them of a debit order that was incorrectly deducted from the account,” explains Mbatsane.

He says the scammer will then send a one-time password (OTP) via SMS and ask the unsuspecting individual to give it to them for the transaction to be stopped.

“It is then when the scammers take the money,” he says.

There have been no arrests yet, however, Mbatsane says investigations are at advanced stages.

“If it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is in most cases.

“Scammers may create a sense of urgency to scare you into the scam.

“Residents must not be pressured into making a decision before sending money or bank details to anyone, first discuss it with someone you trust.

“If you believe you have been the target of a scam, report it to the nearest police for assistance.”