Industry expert Bronwyn Johnson, head of marketing at OLX South Africa, warned that the growing popularity of online shopping means that the number of criminals looking for easy targets is also increasing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t always recognise scam artists by their strange accents or obvious disguises,\u201d she warned. \u201cScammers have become more sophisticated and convincing, which means that buyers and sellers need to be vigilant about the risks so that they can transact safely and successfully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scammers used to limit their scams to people interested in electronics and animals; but Johnson says that they are now moving to other categories as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrailers and farming equipment are the latest targets for scammers who are experts at playing on the trusting nature of South Africans,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Johnson said that online buyers and sellers should be realistic and think logically and remember the old adage, \u201cIf something seems too good to be true it probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson said that a favourite tactic with scammers is to con many unsuspecting individuals by getting them to pay a deposit to \u2018secure their purchase\u2019 or a \u2018courier bill\u2019 and then they collect many of these smaller amounts from unsuspecting individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever give a deposit on goods,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cOnly pay cash for goods you have checked in person. If a person insists on a deposit to keep the goods before you\u2019ve had the chance to see them, walk away from the deal \u2013 no exceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed out that users also need to be aware that often scammers use real cell phone numbers and have conversations via cell phone messaging apps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are clever and convincing. They also use bank accounts that actually do exist but as soon as the money is deposited, the account is closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also warns that, it is not always the seller who is the scam artist and that more advertisers are being conned by fraudulent buyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey even send fake SMS messages impersonating the bank, to convince sellers that the cash has been received,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this case we advise the same that we do with cheque payments \u2013 first make sure that the money has cleared in your account (this usually takes up to seven working days), before you release the goods.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson said that buyers can protect themselves against scams when doing the payment exchange by following some simple rules including:<\/p>\n
Online shopping in SA: popular sites, products bought<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n