Social media used to scam car owners

Vehicle owners are urged by Santam to ensure they do not fall prey to a recent scam exposed on the TV programme, Carte Blanche.

The scam involves criminals using social media to track down disgruntled car owners who are not satisfied with the recent repairs to their vehicles.

The syndicate then uses this information to contact the vehicle owners in an elaborate scheme to get the owner to hand over the vehicle. The scam usually involves convincing the owner by phone that the service centre will collect, repair and return the vehicle.

The owner is usually caught off guard thinking that the service centre is reacting to a customer service issue, and then parts with the car never to see it again.

Santam personal lines underwriting manager, Marius Neethling, warns vehicle owners to be extremely cautious when dealing with individuals who seem to have possession of convincing personal information.

“Criminals are nothing if not ingenious and we urge owners to be very careful about the information that they post online about issues such as car repairs,” he said.

In terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act, your personal information, contact details and some of the specific information that a vehicle repair centre will have for a specific purpose should be protected.

“If you are contacted by someone who has information about you or your car, you should confirm any subsequent arrangements directly with the service centre. The effort of a short phone call could save you a lot of trauma and financial loss,” added Neethling.

Santam advises car owners to protect their vehicles by always communicating directly with the vehicle service centre representative concerned.

They also urge motor vehicle owners to not hand over their vehicles to anyone unless owners have independently verified that the collection service is legitimate and that the collector of the vehicle can identify themselves.