Man cheated out of almost R200k and bakkie in sale scam

An Umhlanga man has allegedly been robbed of what he thought was his new vehicle.

The man spent Friday afternoon arguing with scammers before being removed from a bakkie which he had recently transferred money to purchase.

A local security company assisted the victim and the matter has since been reported to police.

Sale agreement turned sour

The would-be buyer responded to an advertisement stating a white Ford Ranger Wildtrak was for sale at a price of R550 000.

The scammers attempted to have the buyer transfer the asking price to them using only photos and videos, but the buyer insisted on seeing the vehicle in person.

On Friday morning, the buyer and a friend met with representatives of the seller at King Shaka International Airport where they discussed the transaction.

After agreeing a sale price of R195 000, the buyer allegedly transferred the money to the seller, on the pretence of leaving the airport in a new ride.  

However, a dispute began despite the funds being transferred between accounts with the same bank.

“After the monies were transferred, the seller refused to accept that the money was reflecting in his account and informed his employee not to release the vehicle,” said Prem Balram from Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa).

Robbed at service station

The stand-off at the airport continued for several hours before the seller agreed to meet the buyer at a service station in Verulam.

At the service station, two armed men dressed in khaki uniforms arrived in another white Ford Ranger and promptly took the vehicle at gunpoint.

“The men forcefully removed the passenger from the vehicle and drove off with the Ford Wildtrak,” confirmed Balram.

Rusa was called shorty after 6pm, whereafter the victim was taken to the police for assistance.

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