Don’t deposit money for online car sales, warns police
Police urge residents and buyers to purchase vehicles from registered vehicle dealers to avoid being scammed online.
DURBAN North SAPS has warned residents to be wary when purchasing vehicles from online websites. This comes after two cases were registered at the station with residents being scammed out of more than R80 000 recently.
In one of the incidents, a man paid R40 000 to a Johannesburg ‘business’ that didn’t exist, confirmed station spokesman, Capt Raymond Deokaran.
“He spotted an advert for the vehicle, an Isuzu bakkie online, and contacted the seller. The seller said he needed to deposit an amount of R40 000 to secure the vehicle. He claimed the vehicle was at their business in Johannesburg and said if he flew to OR Tambo International Airport, he would be picked up and taken through to the business
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“However, when the victim arrived at the airport, the alleged seller was nowhere to be seen. The victim tried to contact the seller but to no avail. He then took a taxi to the supposed business on the outskirts of the CBD only to find the address led to a residential home,” he said.
Deokaran said in the past, victims were requested to pay a deposit in order to secure a deal, only to be left high and dry.
“We’ve had several cases over recent years and two in the last month. We are urging residents to verify the authenticity of an online deal before parting with your money. We advise residents to purchase vehicles from registered vehicle dealers,” he said.
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