Two families fall victim to Ballito accommodation scam

Two families’ plans of a summer holiday in Ballito were shattered when they were both scammed by the same man for a total of R12 000.

A family of four from Newcastle and a newly married couple from Limpopo were left disappointed and strapped for cash after their holiday accommodation booking in Ballito turned out to be a scam. One of the victims, Tanja Parkinson told The Courier she saw an advertisement on a Facebook page for a three bedroom house in Edward Place, Ballito, opposite The Hops restaurant.

“We were desperate to find a place two weeks ago. I contacted the guy, whose name the police asked that I don’t disclose yet, and he emailed me an application and spoke to me over the phone. He said that we needed to secure the place by paying half the payment which was R8 000. Accommodation in Ballito is expensive and this was a last minute booking,” she said.

Parkinson and her family planned to occupy the house from December 26 to January 2.

“I was also in contact with a lady who shared the advert on Facebook. She told me that she booked and cancelled at the last minute so the guy who advertised the house told her that if she also shared the advert on Facebook – he would give her the deposit back.”

The lady later contacted Parkinson to tell her that she suspected the accommodation was a scam. The panicked mother of two asked a friend of hers from Ballito to drive over to the house and check out the place.

“My friend told me that the house was vacant and it looked as though it was empty.”

“There was also a ‘Sold’ Rawson Properties board outside the property. That was when I realised that I had been scammed,” she said.

The honeymooners from Limpopo, Shaun and Leena Thompson, planned to book the same place from December 21 to December 26. They paid a deposit of R4 000.

“My wife and I got married in January last year and we decided to go on our honeymoon during the festive season. It was a last minute decision because we were both on leave.”

“I saw a post on Facebook advertising holiday accommodation. I was told that there was someone else on the list but if I got my deposit in before they did, I could have the place. I deposited the money on December 19 and I got no response when I tried to contact the man again.”

“After three days of the guy not answering his phone or responding to emails, I realised that I had been scammed and reported the incident to the police. I also found out from a family member that the house has been sold by Rawson Properties.”

Rawson Properties Ballito principal Roelof Faul confirmed the house had been sold recently and that the buyers knew nothing about the house being offered as holiday accommodation.

“The new owners have not yet occupied the house and the previous owners were a group of reputable people who would not have been involved in this scam. Every year there are similar scams and people probably find the property advertised online and decide to cash in.”

“People should use reputable agencies when they are making bookings as agencies run a number of checks to make sure that everything is safe and legal before people occupy the place,” he said.

Both victims have opened a case with the police and the scammer’s bank account has since been frozen, however his email account has been taken down and his number no longer exists. The Facebook advert has also been removed.

>>> Need some ideas for things to do? Check out Holiday Vibes.

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