Beware of online thieves
2019/02/05
In today’s day and age, technology has made the buying and selling of goods a lot more convenient with online classified pages and websites enabling us to browse for an item we in the market for or advertise that old iPhone we have lying in the bedroom draw after our last upgrade.
However, as we have adapted, so have the bad guys and these online sites are often trolled by thieves and scam artists looking for their next target.
Last year Marshall Security along with members of the Durban North Field unit of the SAPS acted on information and managed to arrest one of these men targeting online traders. However recently we have again noticed an increase in crimes related to online advertising, and would like to give you the following advice to hopefully prevent you from being the next victim:
- Always meet the prospective buyer on your terms. Never fall for the “I own a shop and can’t leave, please come to me” story. This gives the would-be thief a home ground advantage.
- Always arrange to meet at a public place such as a service station.
- Never allow the buyer to take the product away for testing, have them do so in front of you in the public place.
- Never hand over any goods before you have been paid.
- If the buyer does an electronic fund transfer, always make sure the money has cleared into your account before handing over the goods.
Remember if you feel uneasy about the situation, rather withdraw, cancel the deal or call us IN CASE OF ANYTHING.
Marshall Security
086 162 7732
