Police warn of scammers ahead of festive season, black Friday

AS we approach the festive or “fraud” season, and Black Friday, Brighton Beach police are urging the community to be aware of scammers on the prowl for unsuspecting victims.

Captain Louise le Roux, the station’s communications officer, said its members recently embarked on a public fraud awareness campaign at the Hillside Mall on the Bluff.

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“Members distributed fraud alert information guides to assist in conditioning the community in preventing them from falling prey to fraudsters. There were several scenarios included in the brochure which detail the different types of fraud, and what a person can to do to if they find themselves in such a situation,” she said.

Here are some of the fraudulent activities to be aware of:

• You may receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be from your banking institute, informing you that a third party is attempting to access your account. You will then be told that you will receive a text message containing an OPT number, upon which you must read the OPT number to the caller, in order for the banking institute to prevent any transaction taking place from your account. Do not provide them with the OPT number you receive. If you do, monies could be transferred out of your account by the fraudster. Rather immediately cut the call and contact your banking institute and report the incident.
• Be cautious when advertising goods for sale on social media platforms, as interested fraudsters will send you a fraudulent proof of a payment bank slip. In some cases, an Uber driver will be summoned to collect the purchased item/s. Do not hand any property over until you have received confirmation from your financial institute that the money transfer has been cleared into your banking account.
• Personally view items such as vehicles, electronic devices or even pets, you find on social media platforms to ensure they exist. If the item you seek is not in your proximity, it is suggested that you request someone you know who is in the proximity of the seller to view it on your behalf, or request a video call with the seller to view the property before transferring monies.
• Be cautious before investing monies with companies offering quick returns on your investments or ‘get rich quick’ schemes. Upon making an initial investment, you may be requested to make a second payment before you are able to receive any financial benefit from your original investment. Research the company with whom you wish to invest, by enquiring from the receiver of revenue if the company you wish to invest with is legitimate. You can even Google the company name where people often comment if they have been scammed or not.
• Business owners or employees responsible for the sale of stock should be cautious when dealing with ‘first time’ clients. Only upon confirmation of monies being cleared into the companies bank account, should you then release the stock purchased. Fraudsters will send a fraudulent proof of payment bank slip and then send a courier company to collect the stock, which is delivered to a location where the fraudsters can not be traced.

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