Vigilance key to thwarting shrewd internet scamsters

The internet has made life a lot easier for most of us, but it has also enabled fraudsters to pose as a person or a company in order to con people into transferring money into their bank accounts.

Just as middle-aged paedophiles groom their teenaged victims by pretending to be someone much younger and much less sinister, so fraudsters create fake personas and websites to dupe their victims.

In cyberspace there’s nothing to stop them putting up for sale entirely fictitious goods, from puppies to cars, or purporting to be legitimate organisations, from banks and SARS to PayPal and Wonga.

Essentially, they’re exploiting a range of emotional states – desperation, fear, greed – which are more powerful than suspicion and common sense.

Andre Pillay received an SMS from “Halifax Loans” offering low-interest loan with no credit checks. Halifax is the name of a legitimate UK bank.

“I jumped at this opportunity as my car needed urgent repairs,” he said. He filled out the forms he was sent, requesting an R8500 loan. Just half an hour later he was told a R10000 loan had been approved. Then came the request for R950, this time via cellphone.

Luckily, while waiting for the banking details, he had a good look at the paperwork, and grew suspicious.

Had Pillay paid that R950, he would then have been asked to pay transfer fees, then tax.

But though thankful he wised up in time, Pillay was concerned that the fraudsters had both his ID number and his bank statement. “How can I protect my bank account?” he asked. (See sidebar on this page)

Sadly, Shantha Hurinath didn’t find out that she’d been dealing with a Wonga imposter until after she’d transferred a “legislation fee” of R3840 into his account in mid-March. She’d applied for a R35000 loan –at a claimed interest rate of just 3% – after receiving an SMS.

“I didn’t think anything was wrong as Wonga is an international company and I felt that the fee was also their way of making money, so I made the transfer,” she told In Your Corner. And she was assured that the fee would be added to loan amount requested.

“When queried why I hadn’t got the money, I was asked to pay another R5500.” That’s when she Googled Wonga’s details, phoned the legitimate company in South Africa, and was told she’d been scammed.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOAN OFFERS

• Legitimate money-lenders do not ask for up-front fees, just as legitimate employment agencies do not ask job-seekers to pay application fees;
• Scam artists generally use free and anonymous e-mail services such as yahoo and gmail; offer totally unrealistic interest rates, do no credit checks and approve loan applications ridiculously fast;
• In terms of the National Credit Act, a credit provider is required to be registered with the National Credit Regulator. Always ask for a registration number, then check.

What fraudsters also do, when posing as buyers or sellers on free classifieds sites, is seek to gain the trust of their would-be victims by asking them to pay via a legitimate, trusted payment method, such as PayPal. But that’s fake, too.

Earlier this month, “Michael” of Durban advertised windsurfing equipment on Gumtree, and a foreigner claimed to have made payment, but e-mails purporting to be sent by PayPal requested a series of fees from Michael, including “insurance” totalling R10000 for the release of the money.

It was all part of the fraudster’s web of deceit, and unfortunately Michael fell for it. At least he still has windsurfing gear.

When buying goods on online sites, you only have recourse if you’re scammed if you paid by credit card, in which case you can apply to your credit card issuing bank for “chargeback”.

Contact Wendy Knowler on e-mail: consumer@knowler.co.za or Twitter: @wendyknowler or get more tips and warnings: www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/inyourcorner/