CON ARTISTS ROB EMASWATI OVER E600 000

MBABANE - About 13 emaSwati have lost over E600 000 to con artists who  posed as messiahs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This happened between the period of March and July where people opted for online purchasing to minimise the spread of the virus. Information gathered from some of the reportedly conned emaSwati was that they were lured into purchasing items such as tractor-loader-backhoes (TLBs) and motor vehicles through adverts which appeared on social media platforms.
They stated that they believed the adverts to be authentic because there were company logos attached to them, giving the impression that the deals were genuine. “I was desperately looking for an affordable car to purchase after the outbreak of COVID-19.  I thought it was best to have a personal vehicle to use during the COVID-19 pandemic instead of public transport. I was relieved when I saw an advert on Facebook selling an affordable car in South Africa.  I called the advertiser, and he confirmed the validity of the advert. I viewed more cars on his page and decided to purchase one,” said one of the conned emaSwati.

Account

He added that he called the person who posed as a sales agent, and he provided him with bank account details to deposit the money for the car. The prospective buyer stated that the agreement was that he would transfer the money online in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19. He said the agent informed him that he would personally deliver the car after a couple of days. He stated that, according to the advert, the car he intended to buy cost E68 000. The prospective  buyer claimed that after negotiations, the price was reduced to E49 000 on condition that he paid in a week’s time. “The bogus agent further promised to deliver the car after the payment. I had no option but to apply for a quick loan so that I could meet the deadline,” he said.  He added that he last communicated with the charlatan a few minutes after he had made the payment. He added that a follow-up call to the agent proved that he had been conned.

He said the bogus agents cellphone numbers were neither available on the networks nor active in any of the social media platforms.

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