Don’t deposit money for online car sales, warns Durban North SAPS
Police have urged residents and buyers to purchase vehicles from registered vehicle dealers after a man was scammed out of R65 000.
DURBAN North SAPS has warned residents to be wary when purchasing vehicles from online websites. This comes after a man was scammed out of R65 000 recently.
“The victim was from out of town and found a vehicle through a company based in KZN. He was fetched by the suspect at King Shaka International Airport and was taken to where the vehicle, a Toyota Avanza, was parked,” explained Capt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS.
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“The victim was satisfied after seeing the vehicle and was taken to a licensing office. Once there, a second suspect claimed he could fast track the process with regards to the licensing of the vehicle. The suspects asked the victim to deposit R65 000 into their account while at the offices. The victim did that and walked into the office to find the system was offline. As he walked outside to where the vehicle was parked, the suspects drove off. He has since tried to get hold of the suspects but to no avail,” 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 the last six months. 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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