West residents warned against buying and selling cars online
"The victim was scammed with a fake bank notification SMS. We still do not know how they do it but, it has become a common thing," said police spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma.
Pretoria West police have called on residents to be careful when purchasing or selling their cars online.
Police spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma said they have recently opened several cases of fraud relating to online car sales scams.
Vuma said in one of the incidents a victim from their policing area posted a car ad online and it attracted someone who he thought was a genuine person.
“They agreed on the price online and met so that they could exchange papers and money. The person told him he was going to send him the money via an app.”
Vuma said the victim received a bank notification alerting him that the amount of money they had agreed on had been deposited into his bank account.
“The following day when he tried to withdraw the money, he found that the money was not in the account. He went to the bank and they told him that there was never such an amount,” she said.
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“The victim was scammed with a fake bank notification SMS.
“We still do not know how they do it, but it has become a common thing that victims receive fake bank notifications that money has been deposited in the account only to find out it is not true when they try to use the money,” Vuma said.
She cautioned people who wanted to buy cars online to physically visit the car dealership before paying for the car.
Vuma said in some incidents the scammers go to the dealerships to take pictures of the cars pretending that they work in those dealerships.
“They post the dealerships’ car photos and addresses. The dealerships are usually in Benoni, Kempton Park or Johannesburg.
“They will then inform the victim to pay a deposit so that they can secure the car for them as it is in demand,” she said.
“When you go to the supposed address of the dealership, you discover that either the dealership does not exist or the dealership does exist but the person you sent the money to does not work there.
Rather go to the address or call the person and ask them when you can come and view the car, she advised.
“If the person insists that you cannot meet, then you should know that it is a scam. We want to urge residents to refrain from buying – and paying for – things they have not seen.”
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