Secunda police have urged the public to be alert and not fall prey to the numerous cellphone and online scams doing the rounds. To increase public vigilance, they have released details of some of the scams that have crossed their desks.

Sim card promotions

A bogus Sim card promotion scam keeps resurfacing, with many people falling victim to it. This is despite several police warnings issued in the past.

Information from victims is that two or three people approach them about a Sim card promotion.

They claim that the Sim cards they are selling come with pre-loaded data or airtime that will be activated once buyers insert the card into their phones. Buyers are asked to hand over their existing Sim cards.

Captain Marieta Wright, Secunda police spokesperson, warns that the ‘special’ Sim card is used to steal your data.

She says when buyers insert the new Sim card and turn their phones back on, they discover that they have been scammed – instead of providing free data and airtime, the new Sim accesses their personal and banking details, enabling the scammers to steal their money.

Wright says people must never give their Sim cards to strangers.

“Go to a cellphone shop and find out if such promotions are true,” says Wright.

She says police received four similar complaints in March; one victim had R20 000 withdrawn from his bank account.

Bogus buyers and sellers on Facebook

Other reported cases relate to goods or vehicles being sold on Facebook, with the seller disappearing as soon as the victim pays over a deposit to secure the deal.

Victims pay the deposit, but the item is not delivered, says Wright.

“Make sure that you see the item for yourself [in person] before you do an EFT,” Wright warns.

Sellers on social media are also not safe. In other cases reported, victims complained that buyers made false payments, which they only realised after the items in question had exchanged hands.

“When you go back to your account, the money is no longer there and has been reversed,” warns Wright.

“If you see the money reflects in your account, transfer it to another account, then you know they cannot reverse the payment,” she says.

She warned that criminals also often use fraudulent proof of payment documents.

Men accused of rape by bogus police

Wright warns of a new scam in which men are targeted by a caller impersonating a police officer, who demands money to make a rape charge against them disappear.

She says in most instances, the caller has private information on his target and this makes the call seem credible.

“When you go onto the person’s profile [WhatsApp] image, it shows two police officials,” explains Wright. She warns that the photo is fake and does not belong to the actual caller.

“If you are not guilty of rape, why would you want to pay?” asks Wright. And, she adds, if you are facing actual charges and pay to have them dropped, you will face additional charges.

She says she receives around five complaints about this scam each week.

“This is a syndicate running all over South Africa. They are getting all your information from somewhere. They know everything about you. Do not pay over money,” warns Wright.

She says attempts to track the callers have been unsuccessful because they change their numbers often.