Absa has warned its clients not to fall victim to a new fraud scam involving repossessed cars, the bank said on Wednesday.
Absa’s forensics unit said the scam is being advertised on pamphlets that offer clients a chance to buy repossessed cars.
”If interested in the vehicles, clients have to send an SMS message to a cellphone number which appears on the mentioned pamphlet,” said unit head Chris van Rensburg.
”A person from the company replies and instructs the prospective buyer to deposit an amount into a nominated account.”
The vehicles are never delivered, he said.
”We’ve imposed a security hold on accounts that have been used to date,” Van Rensburg said.
”But it’s difficult to stop the scam because as soon as an account is blocked, the syndicate simply continues with another account.”
People should make absolutely sure of the company’s credentials before making any deposits. — Sapa