eMBALENHLE – Police have called on residents to be cautious when buying things online.
This came after several cases were reported by people who bought vehicles online and then ended up being scammed out of their money.
In one incident, a victim saw an advert on Facebook and contacted the seller.
They seller advised him to deposit the money to secure the purchase.
The victim deposited about R14 000 into the seller’s account, but when he then tried to contact the seller, the culprit did not answer the phone.
Const Busi Mthethwa, police spokesman, said in another incident a victim was scammed out of R32 000.
“Most of the times vehicles are advertised at such bargain prices that the buyer rushes to pay 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.
“Unfortunately, once the money is deposited, the buyer finds that the seller’s cell phone has been disconnected.
“It is usually at this stage that he or she realises that their deposit money has disappeared with the con-artist, ” said Const Mthethwa.
“Their dream of getting a vehicle at a bargain price is shattered. We advise the public to purchase vehicles from registered vehicle dealers,” dhe said.
