Police are encouraging people who sell or purchase goods online to be more vigilant of fraudsters.
This comes after two incidents of fraud were reported to the Linden Police Station on 25 August.
In the first case, a victim was browsing the Internet when she saw a great deal on eggs.
Station spokesperson Constable Takalani Matumba said, “She [the victim] began to engage with the person allegedly selling the eggs and made an order of 10 boxes to be delivered the same day.”
Moments later, she received an SMS telling her to deposit money into a bank account for the purchase to take place. “She sent through R1 300 and awaited the delivery. She called the seller numerous times the next day to find out the progress of the purchase, but there was no answer. It was then that she realised that she had been defrauded.”
Matumba warned, “In any purchase, make sure that you have seen the goods before handing over any cash after meeting with the seller in a secure and public location. Many buyers and sellers meet at the police station in this regard.”
On the other side of the coin, a seller placed his cell phone for sale on a popular online marketplace in the second case.
A person contacted him who said he was interested in making a purchase, and arrangements were made to meet. “After meeting, the suspect pretended as if he was making the transfer into the victim’s account via an EFT, and even provided the suspect with what he believed to be a real proof of purchase message. This was fake, and the suspect left with the victim’s phone.”
Matumba concluded, “While transferring of funds in purchases like these are common, try your best to accept cash only when selling online to avoid falling victim to this type of scam. If an EFT is absolutely necessary, request payment confirmation upfront from the buyer and wait for this confirmation to be received on your device before handing over your goods.”
