Man loses R75K in fake email scam

A man from Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal has lost R75,000 after being scammed into depositing money to the wrong business account, while another lost R11,000 in another scam.

According to Tongaat police spokesperson Captain Patrick Ngwane, a 52-year-old man recently received an email purporting to be from a company that was doing business for him. The email informed the complainant about a change of banking details for the said company. He then deposited the sum of R75,037 into the company’s bank account.

The man was later called by a consultant from the genuine company that was doing business for him to find out when the payment would be made.

“He informed the consultant that payment was already made and then forwarded the proof of payment. The victim was then informed that the payment was made to the wrong account. This was when he realised that he was scammed,” said Ngwane.

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Ngwane warned the public of scams that involve receiving fake emails and SMSes.

“Some emails or SMSes may seem like they are from a company you are doing business with. Scammers may request changes to bank details so that payment will be redirected into their account. We therefore appeal to the public not to make payments or transfers of money before the email and banking details have been verified. This can be done by visiting or contacting the branch where money is to be paid,” said Ngwane.

In another incident in the same province, a 54-year-old man in Maidstone saw a car for sale on Facebook. He then contacted the seller and made arrangements to purchase the car. He was then given banking details to make a deposit in order to secure the deal.

An amount of R11,000 was deposited into the bank account. When the car was not delivered to him as promised, the victim realised that he had been scammed. He then tried to call the seller and could not get a hold of him anymore.

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Ngwane warned: “Do not make payments or transfer money to the person selling the car before ensuring that the deal is legitimate. Make sure that you check the background of the vehicle being sold. Arrange to meet with the person selling the car in public places. If you suspect any criminal activities, report the matter to the police immediately.”

This article was republished from Phoenix Sun with permission

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