When we lose our hard-earned money to fraudsters, it can be infuriating. This was the case for one resident in eMalahleni.

It is alleged that the victim was scammed when she requested a few quotes for a container online.

These containers are extremely handy for extra storage or sometimes used for tuck shops and so forth.

Upon requesting five quotes from different companies she only received two.

Choosing the best quote, she received all the relevant information and made the payment and the manager approved it.

After paying thousands into the account, it was alleged that contact stopped and the number used for the company, has been canceled.

Upon further investigation, the company used another container selling site’s details and company logo apart from the banking details and contact details.

The delivery date was for early August, but nothing arrived. The complainant never received the container or her money.  

WITBANK NEWS reached out to one reputable container company that wished to remain anonymous but has been able to give advice on when purchasing a container and what red flags you need to look out for.

The director of the company said that he is very familiar with scammers are a daily thing in the industry.

“The scammers clone the legitimate websites and edit the details after, and as soon as the one website is taken down then a new one would pop up.”

When asking for advice on how to be sure if a container company is above board he advised that a copy of the company’s bank letterhead should be provided from the said company and that you can visit www.containerfraudprevention.co.za to see whether the company is listed.

“People can be very naïve and it should be obvious that a container can not cost R25 000. Containers usually go for about R65 000 – R70 000” he added and also advised people to be more aware as losing your hard-earned money hangs in the balance and the chance of never recovering it back being the most common result.”

What you should do to prevent falling victim to scams and fraud:

“Never respond to emails or cellphone messages appearing to be from your bank, which requests your personal details. Remember that no bank will ever ask you to confirm or update your account details by email. Never provide your online ID, password, or PIN to anyone and never write them down or share them,” is the preventative tip on the national police’s website www.saps.gov.za.

Captain Eddie Hall, spokesperson for the Witbank SAPS also advised that you should not save your Internet banking password on your desktop and not to leave your computer unattended after you have entered your Internet banking password.

“Always log off or sign off at the end of a session. Avoid doing Internet banking in public areas such as Internet cafés, or on any computer that can be accessed by people you do not know. Change your PIN and passwords frequently. Put sensible transaction limits on your accounts. Only provide your credit card details to reputable companies. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust,” Hall said.

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