Dundee SAPS have urged community members to be more vigilant when shopping online, following a spate of fraud cases.

Police reported that, in the past few weeks, several cases of fraud were reported after residents were scammed out of their money. In the latest incident, a woman parted with R10 000 to receive a ‘free gift’, promised to her by a man she communicated with via Instagram.

After depositing the money, which was allegedly for delivery fees, she did not receive her gift. “Free gifts should be free and no money should be paid to anyone to receive such gifts,” say the police.

Residents are urged to validate and verify that the seller is legitimate before making any deposits. “If in doubt, don’t proceed with making a deposit. Cases like these are contributing to an increasing number of fraud cases that could have easily been avoided.”