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Police in Ivory Park would like to urge the residents to exercise vigilance when responding to Facebook market advertisements for properties on sale, as failure to do so would cost them dearly.
POLICE PROBE FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE SCAM
This after a man in Kaalfontein, Midrand, became the latest person to fall victim to fraudsters after he responded to a Facebook post about a car on sale, which did not exist.
According to the police report, the two men chatted on Facebook and, eventually, the victim paid ten thousand rand (R10 000) into an account and that was the last he heard from the scammer.
The ‘seller’ and the advertisement disappeared from Facebook and the victim was blocked.“A case of fraud was opened at the Ivory Park SAPS, and investigations into the incident are underway.”
Captain Ben Matimulane
ADVICE BEFORE PAYING FOR AN ITEM ONLINE
“Potential buyers are urged to satisfy themselves that the items in question are genuine, that they are in the condition they say they are and that the paperwork is in order, more especially for the cars. All of these should be done before money is paid into any account or any person,” Matimulane, police spokesperson, cautioned.
The Station Commander of the Ivory Park SAPS, Brigadier David Mbongeni Ngcobo commented, “Any buyer, especially buying from social media platforms, should do all reasonably possible to avoid financial losses. Talk to other people. People tend to be secretive about their online activities only to tell after the fact. By then the proverbial horse had bolted”.
“One notable red flag should be when the seller starts demanding money even before the product has been inspected, seen or confirmed, “Brigadier Ngcobo further cautioned.
source:Police caution against Facebook marketplace scams (thesouthafrican.com)
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