WITH tourism establishments and businesses expected to become a hive of activity over the festive season, scammers will also be preying on unsuspecting victims.
This as an ‘over payment scam’ has once again resurfaced, targeting a local tourism business recently.
The business was almost scammed of R55 000 by ‘holidaymakers’ wanting to book an activity.
‘The total cost for the activity came to R555. They phoned later to say a friend went to make the payment and by mistake paid R55 000, and requested us to repay back the extra amount,’ the business owner said.
The plan was, however, foiled when the owner realised it was a scam that has been ongoing for the past two years.
A similar incident occurred in Empangeni in 2017 when a Ngwelezana woman was duped into giving away R2 000 to people who had requested catering services for a business meeting in the area.
They offered her a contract to provide food for 40 people and requested a menu and quotation. After receiving the quotation, they offered her the job.
The fraudsters deposited a cheque of R15 000 into her account, more than what was initially agreed to. They requested a R2 000 refund which she deposited in their account.
‘When I went to the bank the next day to check if the R15 000 had been cleared, there was no money,’ she said.
Empangeni police spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, said a number of similar cases had been reported previously.
‘A case docket can be opened in such instances, but it is difficult to trace the person who withdraws the money at the other end if it is an in-store transaction,’ he said.
The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) urged consumers and businesses to be vigilant and verify with the bank that the deposit made into their account is indeed valid.
‘In addition, you should wait for all cheque deposits to first be cleared before handing the goods over to a depositor.
‘Take great care to protect personal information and that of your company. It is through access to this information that perpetrators gain access to you and your organisation,’ SABRIC said.
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