Fraudsters con Durbanville residents out of thousands of rands
Durbanville police are urging residents to remain vigilant amid a spate of fraud incidents that spiked last week.
The criminals are conducting their fraudulent schemes via telephone and presenting false information, warned Durbanville police spokesman, Captain Marchell Rhode.
Within a single week, beginning from last Monday July 17, three individuals were defrauded on separate occasions that altogether amounted to almost R75 000 in lost funds.
“In the latest incident, a man was contacted by a person who claimed that he was from Absa Bank, and that he (the complainant) received an SMS that someone is purchasing flight tickets from his account.
“Later the man found out that he was defrauded of R53 000 from his Absa Bank account,“ Captain Rhode said.
In a separate incident, a Durbanville man has yet to receive the vehicle he paid a R22 000 deposit for.
“The man was looking to buy a vehicle on Facebook’s Marketplace. He contacted the seller to ask if the vehicle was still available, and after he found that it was, he deposited R22 000. He never received the vehicle.
“In a similar incident that took place on Facebook Marketplace, a Durbanville woman who sold her Dell laptop, valued at R12 550, has also never received her money she was promised from the buyer,” he said.
Captain Rhode confirmed with Northern News that they do not suspect that the crimes are being conducted by the same fraudster.
“The Durbanville police are urging the community to be cautious when buying or selling items over the internet,” he said.
SAPS have also provided the following safety tips below.
How to protect yourself from fraud and scams:
The simple tips below will help you protect yourself and your family from scams. Scams can cost people a lot of money and cause a great deal of distress. By following these simple tips, you can protect yourself against scams.
Phishing and Fraud scams are methods of deceitfully obtaining personal information such as passwords, identity numbers and credit card details by calling, sending emails or cellphone messages that look like they come from trusted sources, such as banks or legitimate companies.
Typically, these emails or cellphone messages request that users click on a link in the email, which will direct users to a spoofed website – a site designed to fool users into thinking that it is legitimate – to obtain, verify or update contact details or other sensitive financial information. These emails and messages also contain a telephone number and contact person whom you should call, as you are promised you could win large sums of money.
What you should do to prevent falling victim to scams and fraud:
Never respond to emails or cellphone messages appearing to be from your bank, which request your personal details. Remember that no bank will ever ask you to confirm or update your account details by email.
Never provide your online ID, password or PIN to anyone and never write them down or share them.
Do not save your internet banking password on your desktop.
Do not leave your computer unattended after you have entered your internet banking password.
Always log off or sign off at the end of a session.
Avoid doing internet banking in public areas such as internet cafés, or on any computer that can be accessed by people you do not know.
Change your PIN and passwords frequently.
Put sensible transaction limits on your accounts.
Only provide your credit card details to reputable companies.
If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.
Never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust.
To report any suspected online scam fraud, file a report at your nearest police station or call 08600 10111.