EARLY in August, Binnie Nel was shocked to learn burglars had looted his home while he was at work.
‘They took a number of items, including a generator I used during load shedding. Two weeks after the theft I still had not had any luck with the SAPS,’ said Nel.
‘By then the insurance had paid out, so I decided to search for a new one.’
Nel said he simply typed in what he was looking for on Google, and found an advertisement for exactly what he wanted.
‘I contacted the advertiser and all seemed to be in order. They confirmed they could deliver the generator to my house, and even sent me an invoice.’
Nel then made an EFT payment in to the given account.
Warning signs
After the delivery had not been made on the time and day agreed, he tried to contact the seller, to no avail.
‘I rushed to the bank to cancel the transfer, but it was too late.’
A flurry of calls and emails later, with Nel only hearing back from the seller intermittently, he learned that the driver had been ‘in an accident’ and was now ‘in a coma in hospital’.
‘The man agreed to pay back the money, and asked me for my banking details. I have not received any further correspondence from him, or my money.’
Nel admits that he had made a mistake sending the money, but at the time had not felt that anything was amiss.
He went to the police at Richards Bay and opened a case of fraud.
‘I have given up hope of getting back my money. But I want other people to know about these guys, so that they do not make the same mistake.’
Scam artists?
The Zululand Observer contacted the person behind the alleged scam – a man who identified himself as Martin working for LRJ Technology.
He said a colleague of his, Maxwell, had been dealing with Nel’s sale, and he was not sure what the situation was.
‘The driver who was delivering to Mr Nel had an accident,’ he said. ‘I will ask Maxwell to contact him.’
At the time of going to print, Maxwell could not be reached nor had he contacted Nel.
Safe bet
Charl White of ACDC Express in Richards Bay, a company that supplies electrical equipment, says although cheaper options can be found online, it’s not always the safest bet, as Nel’s story proves.
‘We deal with clients on an everyday basis and we know that providing products or services people have paid for is the cornerstone of any good business.
‘People need to be aware of scams and that there are people out there who will take their money without thinking twice.’
Contact Charl White at ACDC Express on rich.info@acdcexpress.com or 087 405 0640.
