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UNHAPPY: Nceba Luzipho from the East Rand was caught out by fake department officials for a 'tender' he won when he ordered more than R150,000 worth of iPhones and has not been refunded. PHOTO: VATHISWA RUSELO

Nceba Luzipho was phoned by an "official" calling himself Jeffrey Mashele, of Spruitview in Ekurhuleni, who invited him to quote on iPads and iPhones with a collective value of more than R400,000.

These were for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, and he had ostensibly bid successfully.

Luzipho became suspicious when the supposed officials told him to deliver the goods to a warehouse and not to the department's offices in Pretoria.

"We have done business with government before, and have not been asked to deliver goods anywhere else," Luzipho said.

He was taken to nearby flats to make the delivery, but he refused to enter the premises as there was no logo indicating that it was a government building.

"After being lured away from the 'department's' reception I became suspicious as I had not delivered wares anywhere in my previous dealings with the same department," he said.

He then called "Mashele" to complain about being escorted to the flats, instead of a government building.

"Mashele" tried to convince him that he was at the right place. But Luzipho decided to go to the department where he was told that it was a scam.

On reporting to a nearby police station, he realised he was not the only one to have been lured by the fraudsters.

"This looks like a well-organised crime and it is happening right under the department's nose," Luzipho said.

Luzipho - armed with an affidavit - approached suppliers for refunds.

While all the other dealers have refunded him, one dealer at the Eastgate Mall, iStore, has refused to take back 19 iPads and refund Luzipho R152,000.

The repayment is in line with the Consumer Protection Act, which allows consumers to return goods in their original packaging within seven days for refunds. Also, the store's policy allows such refunds.

• Another businessperson - who was luckier than Luzipho - is Phikisile Monyepao, of Soweto.

"The bank realised when they were processing my application for a loan to buy goods for the Department of Health that the form had not been stamped."

This after she was "awarded a tender" following a request to submit a quotation via e-mail.

She had been initially telephoned by a "John Khosa", and was asked to give a quotation for 29 Samsung television sets.

"The financier realised that the 'department' had not attached an official stamp on the forms," Monyepao said. "I later visited the department's official and noticed that their contact details were totally different from the ones appearing on the letterheads of the scammers."

Monyepao said the last time she' had heard from "Khosa" was after "I had asked him to send stamped documents to facilitate the loan".

• It seems as if the scammers are using the same telephone and fax numbers.

Also, the scammers seem to be operating from the same offices and get their victims' information from databases of departments.

They then invite unsuspecting "tenderpreneurs" to submit quotations for various goods.

A week ago a woman from Soweto was called to quote on 18 Galaxy tablets and 15,990 Blackberry cellphones.

This one was on a Public Works Department letterhead.

When Sowetan called "Mashele", he said he did not know who Luzipho was.

"He is not on my list and I have not spoken to him," the fraudster said. When he was pressed for more information he hung up.

Water Affairs' Linda Page said they were aware of the incident (Luzipho's fraud claim) and that they were investigating.

She said they were trying to establish whether any staff were involved in the scam. - zungut@sowetan.co.za

• This article was first published in the printed newspaper on 13 July 2012

Comments

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Wed May 22 19:54:47 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 16, 2012

Pointman

Scammers everywhere? Luzipho is one savvy business man for not letting his greed overcome his common sense. Good for you bro and hope you get your refund from the store.
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Jul 16, 2012

HALFWISE

i also recieved a call last week for tender @ value of R400k, I was busy on other stuff so i never had time to follow that one.
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Jul 16, 2012

Sgandy

about time this tenders are scrapped period.
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Jul 16, 2012

Papgat

Yah this scammers they become wise every day and now they are using a letterheads of different department to lure their victims.
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Jul 16, 2012

tpaz

Why cant the Dept buy iPads from a istore direct? 152k worth of ipads, we taxpayers pay 400k. This tender system is bleeding us dry.
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Jul 16, 2012

Dzel

The Department needs iPads and iPhones, these are Apple products so why isn’t government negotiating with Apple directly and procure these themselves?

If you add an intermediary you increase costs, create opportunities for fraud and corruption and introduce potential problems like ones we are experiencing with EduSolutions. The problem is how we procure goods; there is no need for a tender to be awarded for something as straight forward as this. Maybe I should also start a business and exploit this lapse of logic in our procurement system.

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Jul 16, 2012

Dzel

tpaz

Why cant the Dept buy iPads from a istore direct? 152k worth of ipads, we taxpayers pay 400k. This tender system is bleeding us dry.
=================================================

It doesn't make sense does it.

In retail you have professional buyers whose job it is to source goods and products for the likes of Edgars, their mandate is clear; get the best products at the cheapest price so they will squeeze every cent from the supplier so that the company pays the lowest price and saves on unnecessary costs.

With government it is the exact opposite, it is a tenderpreneurs paradise as our government is intent on wasting as much money as they can and they can. I have no problem with tendering for services like constructions of houses but for goods that are readily available and that can be procured directly from the supplier and where we can negotiate bulk discounts how we procure goods is just st.upid.


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Jul 16, 2012

MSG_S

I just don't get this straight. If these scammers are using the same telephone and fax numbers,is it not somewhat easy for the police to trap them? Secondly how on earth do you make such deals over the phone without signing down any piece of dirty paper for God's sake. Call me stupid if you want but Im' not the only one.
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Jul 16, 2012

Mbelewolwazi

Whoever introduced the tender system clearly had a hidden agenda and whoever was convinced that this was best for the people was either very stupid or stood to gain tremendously. If the tender system is not a scam, may be I do not know what a scam is.
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Jul 16, 2012

sabza007

This is Mzansi for sure. Don't pay for anything without visiting offices of that supplier or agent or department. Beware of businesses that have 086,,, fax number and gmail/yahoo/web-mail and so on email address. Check if they have land line phone, not only cellphones as form of contact. This is South Africa.
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