Police from the Uitenhage Commercial Crime Task Team in Kariega warn social media users to be vigilant of being scammed through various platforms.
“It has been noted that many of the victims that fall prey to these scams are from the Despatch area,” said Captain Gerda Swart, police spokesperson.
“One of the most common scams is false advertisements on sites such as Facebook, Gumtree and Marketplace.”
The modus operandi is as follows: The potential buyer will respond to the advert, indicating that he/she is interested in the item and request the banking details of the seller. The seller will then receive a WhatsApp screenshot as proof that the payment was done (the money was deposited into his/her account), and the buyer will arrange that he/she will send someone to collect the item from the seller.
Meanwhile, the WhatsApp screenshot is fake, and no money was in fact deposited into the account of the owner. A courier will then arrive at your home to collect the parcel from the seller. The seller only then realizes, hours later, that he/she has been scammed when the money does not reflect in his/her account. By then he/she (seller) has lost control of the item.
What to do not to fall victim to scams
- Never provide your bank account number and details to a stranger. Rather arrange for a cash transaction.
- Never release the item on sale until the money has been cleared into your account.
- Proof of payment is insufficient in cases where sale transactions are done through the aforementioned sites.
- Never respond to emails or cellphone messages appearing to be from your bank, which request your personal details. Remember that no bank will ever ask you to confirm or update your account details by email.
- If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.
Anyone who has any information on crime is requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Callers may remain anonymous, and all information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
