A couple from Strand are counting their losses, having fallen prey to what appears to be an elaborate scam that has left them R35 000 in the red.
This after they were allegedly conned by a “conniving individual”, who persuaded them to part with their money in return for favourable access to an online trading platform that guarantees growth and quick profits.
“Looking back, we can’t believe that we fell for it,” said the 40-year-old man who, with his wife, agreed to invest and paid with a credit card, which continues to accrue interest of almost R2 000 monthly.
The couple asked not to be named following stress-related health issues that have come about since the incident.
“We know we’ll probably never get our money back, but we decided to speak out because we don’t want to see this happen to another person,” the man said.
It all started last November, when the husband got a call from a telemarketer selling something.
“I told him I was busy and it would be better if he came to see me at home after work,” the man recalled. “A well-dressed, well-groomed individual arrived at an agreed time and introduced himself as someone who works for a well-known bank.
“He knew our personal details attached to our credit card and praised our credit record, so at that moment I trusted him. He then explained the online trading platform on offer and said he would provide training, and if we invested R35 000 then the bank would give us R5 000. He assured us we would be making a lot of money within a short space of time.”
Without hesitation they proceeded to make the payment, and were given a USB stick that contained a simulator programme, which was meant to train them on how to use the platform.
A week later the couple received a call from a man claiming to be a technician, who guided them through the programme. But the man was vague about when they would actually start trading and how much money was to be made.
“I felt something was not lekker and that it was too good to be true,” said the man. “Stuff just wasn’t adding up and I went onto Google and saw many negative reviews of the business. My wife called the bank, which advised her this was probably fraud.
“We stopped the card immediately. We also contacted the gentleman whom we paid and told him we had changed our mind and wanted to cancel. He said it wasn’t a problem, but we would only get our money back in six months as it was in a secure account, and we needn’t worry about the interest. We never spoke to him again.”
The resident, who works as a scale operator and driver at a local scrapyard, has since opened a case of fraud at Strand Police Station.
The company in question was contacted and, in a statement, denied this was a scam, presenting itself as working with a large bank.
“The client can cancel in his first five days’ cooling-off period or, after the six months, terms and conditions apply,” it read. “And the client can contact the support team at any time. We thrive in giving more training and will happily still provide these services. Everything is explained in the contract that they signed.”
The company did not elaborate why there had not been contact with the people in question.
Strand police confirmed a case of fraud was being investigated, advised the public to be cautious when sharing personal details and not to trust get-rich quick schemes.
The couple said the best-case scenario would be for them to get their money back, but this seems impossible now. “At the very least we want to see this person and company guided towards a more meaningful life, devoid of causing grief to others,” the man said.
