DURBAN North police have opened a case of fraud after a man was scammed out of R4 300 in an online pet scam.
According to Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, the victim had paid the money as a deposit for a new cat.
Since the money was deposited, however, the ‘seller’ has not answered his phone and has disappeared with the money.
“The victim saw an online ad for a cat. He then contacted the person whose details were listed on the advert. The scam artist asked for the money to be paid upfront as a deposit, which the victim did. He has since tried to contact the number, but there was no answer and soon realised he had been scammed,” Deokaran said.
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He added that the station had in the past two years seen an increase in these types of cases.
Feeding the Furballs founder and rescuer, Farrah Khan Maharajh, urged those looking to adopt a cat to only deal with reputable organisations.
“Unfortunately we are seeing more of this where unsuspecting victims are being defrauded. I would advise residents looking to adopt or purchase a cat to look at reputable organisations rather than going the online route whether the person you are dealing with is legit. Also don’t be afraid to ask questions, if the person asks for an adoption fee, you need to find out what the fee includes. There should be a proper contract in place,” she said.
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