The Brooklyn police have dealt a blow to fraud with the arrest 17 “fraudsters” last month alone.
Spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach said there had been an increase in fraud cases reported to the station.
“Fraudsters are always coming up with new ways to get their hands on the public’s hard-earned money and possessions,” she said.
Weilbach said the fraudsters used a stolen IDs to enter into cellphone contracts.
“Some perpetrators were caught when stores verified the information on their systems.
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“Store owners are encouraged to make this standard procedure and verify all customers’ information before closing the deal,” she said.
Weilbach said the most common fraud involved online trade.
“In a recent incident, a Waterkloof Heights father deposited money to secure a sale for a vehicle that he wanted to buy for his son, however on the day he had to collect it, he was given excuses,” she said.
“As soon as he discovered that he was defrauded, the money was already withdrawn and the account closed.”
Weilbach said the same modus operandi was used in fraud cases reported in the rest of the Tshwane Central SAPS cluster (Brooklyn, Garsfontein, Lyttelton, Silverton, Sunnyside, Pta Moot and Villieria).
She provided the following advice to prevent fraud:
• Report theft of your ID immediately. With a case number, you can contact the SA fraud prevention service on their hotline 0860 101 248 or website and ask for a protective registration number to quote when applying for credit in future.
• Do not give out personal information on the phone, email or over the internet unless you have initiated the contact or know who you are dealing with.
• Do not use predictable passwords such as your date of birth or telephone number on your accounts.
• Do not put reliance on a deposit slip. The fact that your bank balance reflects a deposit does not necessarily mean the funds are available or that the cheque will be honoured. A cheque can be returned unpaid for a number of reasons.
• Never respond to an e-mail or SMS that asks you to insert or update your personal and banking information by clicking on a website link provided. Rather copy and paste the link into your internet browser, as this will enable you to determine whether you are accessing an authentic website, or not.
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• Never let a stranger touch your card. She/he may have already seen your PIN and is trying to switch your card.
• Cancel your card by calling the card stop number if it is retained by the machine. Do not move away from the machine before you have called the card stop number and note the reference number provided by the bank.
– Be suspicious of anyone offering unsolicited help.
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