More and more vehicle scams reported on social media
Kagiso Police have warned there is an increase in social media scams regarding the buying and selling of vehicles.
Police in Kagiso have noticed an increase in vehicle sales on social media where residents fall victim to scams.
The trend does not, however, exclude the buyers as police also received complaints of buyers being scammed by sellers who do not exist.
According to West Rand District Police spokesperson Captain Solomon Sibiya, a victim put his vehicle for sale on Facebook Marketplace recently. A few days later he received a call from an unknown buyer expressing interest in the vehicle. The buyer allegedly sent a mechanic to the victim to check the condition of the vehicle.
Upon arrival, the mechanic indeed checked the vehicle and handed over proof of payment to the victim, then drove off with the vehicle.
The victim later realised the proof of payment given to him was invalid. He then went to the bank and discovered that there was no record of payment registered in his name.
“Kagiso Police wish to advise members of the public not to trust strangers with their hard-earned money when making purchases. If someone uses the same approach as the aforementioned scenario, it is safe to accompany the alleged buyer to the bank for purposes of validating the proof of payment. Get inside the bank and require official proof,” advised Sibiya.
