Woman conned out of R3 000
Woman conned out of money after falling for online classified scam.
THE Durban North SAPS has warned residents to be mindful of buying items from online classified websites. This after a Durban North resident paid a R3 090 deposit for a flat to rent in Morningside that was not available.
Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, said the woman had found a flat on the OLX classified website in Morningside.
“The alleged owner of the flat asked her to pay a deposit. He then asked the resident to collect the flat key on the same day, however, he never showed up. The con man has since switched off his phone,” he said.
Deokaran added the number of fake rental scams on online classifieds website continues to grow, with new aliases appearing daily. But while the names may change, the methods are always the same.
“These con men use different aliases but the modus operandi is always the same. They use photos stolen from other property advertisements or from images on the web,” he said.
Earlier this year, an uMhlanga resident paid three installments amounting to R47 000 for a VW golf.
He was then told the car would be delivered to his premises but that never happened. “I urge residents to be extra vigilant especially when purchasing items online,” he said.
