A 48 year old man was defrauded of his Samsung Galaxy A6 worth R3200.00 by an online scammer after the scammer allegedly reached an agreement over the phone with the seller. In a separate incident, a man was defrauded through a job scam.
The victim alleges that on 18 October 2019, he posted his Samsung cell phone on OLX to sell it for an amount of R3200.00 when he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown woman who was interested in buying the cell phone, the two parties reached an agreement where the buyer instructed the victim to post the cell phone to, via Postnet.
The victim did as agreed and got a call from Mr Kelvin who confirmed the delivery of the parcel in Durban and not the person he initially spoke with.
The victim tried to contact the woman she spoke with during the agreement but her phone was off. He further contacted Mr Kelvin who confirmed the delivery of the package but his phone was also off. The victim never received any form of payment from the scammers and a case of fraud was registered.
In a separate incident, a 27 year old man was at home when his little brother came home from school on 8 October 2019, with pamphlets advertising Harmony mines employment. The victim contacted the number that appeared on the pamphlet to find more information regarding the application process. Unfortunately, the person he spoke with promised him a quick job offer only if he could deposit money first.
The victim indeed deposited a total amount of R3150.00 but never heard from the person who promised him the job opportunity.
Community members are warned to be careful about bogus advertisements and fake job promises. It is strongly encouraged to contact the human resource department where the post or job is advertised from and for the company to verify the authenticity of the information received.
People become victims of cyber crimes due to lack of background check, desperation and gullibility. Thus, community members are advised to refrain from making quick decisions and start verifying the facts before continuing with any form of financial transactions.
Should anyone have information leading to the arrests of the suspects, they are encouraged to contact Detective Lt Col Stephen Mathakgoe of Welkom Detective Services on 082 525 2168 or Police Emergency numbers 08600 10111.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
