Victims of cyber crime face an unseen criminal trying to get to their money in all kinds of ways.
The South African Police receive a lot of cases reported to them about cyber fraud and cybercrime that leave citizens vulnerable. The most vulnerable of these are elderly people that often are not as clued up with online transactions.
Lt. Col Lorato Mabeleng and her staff at the Bainsvlei Police Station battle the onslaught of cybercriminals daily.
Detective Capt. Thapelo Motseki urges residents to shop online with caution.
“One of the online platforms that gets lots of fake sales, is Facebook. There are credible sales made, but many people end up without the product minus their money.”
Const. Nelisa Mbali says cybercriminals share fake proof of payment documents to unsuspected buyers.
“We warn people not to give goods before the money actually reflects in their bank balances,” Mbali warns.
“Also, you can prevent money that is paid into your account from being reversed by spending a minimum of R50.”
She says it is best to accept cash on delivery at a public place.
“If you are still concerned, ask the customer to do the transaction at a police station for security reasons.”
The police warn people to stop buying products or make payments without products being actually delivered.
It is not only Facebook Marketplaces that cause individuals to lose money.
There are also fake website scams. Their counsel is to refrain from buying from unfamiliar websites, as it is difficult to spot fake website domains and I.P addresses.
“Before making a purchase online, do thorough research on the website including reading through the comments, but some of the positive comments are a setup to make a website seem legitimate,” they warn.
According to the Bainsvlei police this includes advertisements about puppies for sale, and vehicles for sale. Other scams the police see daily is investment deals and loans where citizens pay money to be able to access funds.
Victims also receive SMSes for lottery winnings or competitions where they are asked to pay money to access their funds. People also get caught on false Bitcoin and Crypto currency trading platforms.
Another way that criminals use to get people to pay money to them, is by using SMSes supposedly from a “courier companie” that the customer to pay in order to receive a parcel. First verify your order on the website from which you order a parcel and do not pay if you are uncertain.
Bank scams have been plaguing victims for more than a decade.
WO David Mangojane says these criminals cause people to panic by informing them that there is fraudulent activity in their bank account.
“This will almost always be fraudulent. The bank do not check payments in and out of your account. It is much more reasonable that you will see something wrong in your payments and go to your bank,” Mangojane warns.
If they say they are from the bank, say you will call the bank or visit your bank. Do not use the number from which the scamster is calling you to call back.
“Read and understand the warnings of scam activities that the bank post on their apps such as the sharing of OTPs sharing of pins and card numbers.”
Scammers target people at any time of day or night and it is most popular when the bank is closed. The number they use to call victims even shows the bank name and fraud department.
WO Michael Kennard says these criminals target everyone, but mostly pensioners.
“It is best for elderly people to draw money inside shops and banks, rather than at ATMs.”
Beware of any scams and do not give criminals the opportunity to get to your hard earned money.
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