Fraud cases on the rise
Linden Police Station shares on the rise in such cases and how people are falling victim to this crime.
The Linden Police Station is investigating a huge number of fraud cases that members of the community are opening at the station.
According the station’s Sergeant Takalani Sibiya, in most cases people are buying items via the internet or online, pay or deposit a huge amount of money electronically and then a fake proof of payment will be sent to the purchaser who will be told to wait for the delivery but nothing will be delivered.
“In most cases people are purchasing items such as handbags, pets like dogs, cats and birds, laptops, and clothing,” she explained
The following are some examples of cases that are being investigated.
In one incident, the complaint was online and saw an advertisement of a computer. He then placed an order online to buy to which he was given the account number to pay the money in to, and he did. Proof of payment received was sent to him. He waited for the item to be delivered, but it never happened. He attempted to contact the company to enquire, however, the number was no longer in service.
In a separate incident, the complaint saw an add for a husky breed puppy being advertised. Interested, the complainant thought he was buying the puppy, depositing R20 499 in to the bank account number given to him. In this case, the suspects kept insisting for more money and that was when the complainant realised he was being scammed.
Based on this, the Linden Police Station would like to warn or advise people to be more careful when buying items online.
Here are some tips they have for when buying online:
- Before purchasing, brush up on common scams and warning signs.
- Before buying, try by all means to check if the company is a legitimate one.
- Always resist pressure.
- Always read the site policies before you purchase.
- If possible, try and meet the seller or always know who you are dealing with and always try and pay in the safest way.
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