Don’t deposit money for online car sales, warns SAPS
Police urge residents and buyers to purchase vehicles from registered vehicle dealers to avoid being scammed online.
DURBAN North police have warned residents to be extremely wary when purchasing vehicles from online websites. This comes after two cases were registered at the station with residents being scammed out of more than R20 000.
Capt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, said in the past, victims were requested to pay a deposit in order to secure a deal, only to be left high and dry.
“We’ve had several cases over recent years and two in the last month. In both cases the victims were asked to pay a sum of more than R20 000 collectively to secure a bike and a vehicle only to find out they had been scammed. In both cases a large deposit was requested and once the money was paid, the scam artists disconnected the cell numbers they were using. We are urging residents to verify the authenticity of an online deal before parting with your money,” he said.
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Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane, provincial spokesperson for the police added vehicles are advertised at such bargain prices that the buyer rushes to make the requested deposit into the bank account that is provided by the would-be seller so as not to lose out on a great buy.
“Sadly, once the deposited money has been withdrawn from the account, the buyer finds that the sellers’ cell phone has been disconnected and it is usually at this stage that he or she realises that their deposit money has disappeared with the con artist. Their dream of getting a vehicle at a bargain price is shattered. We advise the public to purchase vehicles from registered vehicle dealers,” he said.
