Two men have fallen victim to a minibus sales scam in a week in the north of Pretoria.
Loate police spokesperson Captain Samuel Sebola said two Winterveldt men, aged 45 and 50, responded to an advertisement about a Toyota Quantum minibus for sale.
Sebola said, one ad was placed on Facebook and the other on OLX.
“The 45-year-old contacted the alleged seller who suggested that they communicate through WhatsApp,” said Sebola, adding that the two had agreed to meet at Makgatho Garage in Winterveldt on Tuesday.
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“They then went to a local tavern for the buyer to view and assess the car. The buyer was happy with the state of the car and then they left to withdraw R50 000 at the bank.”
Sebola said the parties headed back to the tavern and into a backroom to conclude their business.
He said the seller had invited another man to witness the deal.
“While they were counting the R50 000, the alleged seller left the room and was shortly followed by his witness with the money.”
Sebola said, according to the victim, the witness said he was going to hand the money over to the seller before they all went to the police station to complete the sale.
“When the buyer noticed that the two males had gone for an unreasonable time, he went outside to look for them only to discover that they disappeared with the car that was for sale.”
Sebola said a 50-year-old man reported a similar incident to the police on Monday.
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He said he had responded to a Toyota Venture bus advertisement on OLX.
“The man was scammed in the same manner as the previous complainant where they took R50 000 from him and told him to wait in the room while they quickly rushed outside and promised to be back shortly to go to the police station and conclude the sale. “
Sebola said both cases were still under investigation.
The police have warned residents to be vigilant and note that there are no car dealerships in Winterveldt.
“People should be careful of online sales. People who wish to buy cars should visit car dealerships and not get involved in car sales taking place in Winterveldt especially at the tavern.”
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