THE latest scam uncovered by Consumer Line shows that criminals are becoming more innovative in their ways to swindle unsuspecting consumers.
THE latest scam uncovered by Consumer Line shows that criminals are becoming more innovative in their ways to swindle unsuspecting consumers.
"If it is not card cloning, it's vehicle cloning and they go on throughout life causing more pain without a moment of guilt," says Dorah Pharella, who was sold a cloned vehicle.
Pharella, from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, is one of two consumers accusing John PiIlay of Fitz Auctioneers of fleecing them, she of R164000 and the other of R99 000.
Pharella says Pillay, who operates from 368 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg, places online adverts selling cars. "He prefers only cash sales."
Pharella's car was impounded in May after Wesbank tracked it when she was stopped at a roadblock. The Hyundai belonged to Wesbank after its previous owner defaulted on payments. It is not known how Pillay got hold of the vehicle.
Pharella said although her car had a Gauteng registration number, on inspection by the traffic police it was found that its VIN and engine number were that of another vehicle in Mpumalanga. The officers who had stopped her notified Wesbank. Her car was impounded. Pharella says Pillay only refunded her R20000 of the R65000 she paid after Wesbank took her car.
Thandi Vilakazi, 34, of Craigavon near Fourways, the other victim, says she paid Pillay a cash amount of R99000 as she does not have a good credit rating.
In July after renewing her car licence, she was shocked when she was asked to produce car papers as they had found it was cloned.
"It later turned out that mine was cloned and the police impounded it after they inspected it," she says.
Vilakazi says it turned out that the legitimate Ford Fiesta is white and not the blue one she was driving. She says as her documents looked legitimate she did not suspect anything was amiss until her car was confiscated.
When she confronted Pillay he referred her to the salesman who had sold her the car.
She says she opened a fraud case at Jeppe police station.
"Though he promised the station commander he would refund or give me another car in three days [this] never happened," Vilakazi says.
The chief operating officer of the South African Insurance Crime Bureau, Hugo van Zyl says the crime of cloning is growing at alarming proportions.
"[It has] progressed from the typical tampering of identifiers . to the sophisticated cloning of vehicles with existing records on eNaTIS."
According to police crime statistics, 60% of 66360 vehicles were stolen or hijacked last year for the purpose of cloning.
Warrant Officer Richard Munyai confirmed they are investigating two cases of car cloning against Pillay. He asks anyone who may have fallen victim to a similar scam to report it at Jeppe police station.
Pillay argues that he was only a broker who sells cars on behalf of other sellers. He says he too is a victim as his friend sold him the cloned cars, claiming that Pharella and Vilakazi's payments went into the friend's account.
When Consumer Line presented proof that the money was actually transferred into his account, Pillay asked to verify this with his bank. When he found that this was indeed the case, Pillay offered to repay the victims in monthly instalments starting this month.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Cloned cars crime rising - Clients pay dealer R164000 and then lose vehicles
THE latest scam uncovered by Consumer Line shows that criminals are becoming more innovative in their ways to swindle unsuspecting consumers.
THE latest scam uncovered by Consumer Line shows that criminals are becoming more innovative in their ways to swindle unsuspecting consumers.
"If it is not card cloning, it's vehicle cloning and they go on throughout life causing more pain without a moment of guilt," says Dorah Pharella, who was sold a cloned vehicle.
Pharella, from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, is one of two consumers accusing John PiIlay of Fitz Auctioneers of fleecing them, she of R164000 and the other of R99 000.
Pharella says Pillay, who operates from 368 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg, places online adverts selling cars. "He prefers only cash sales."
Pharella's car was impounded in May after Wesbank tracked it when she was stopped at a roadblock. The Hyundai belonged to Wesbank after its previous owner defaulted on payments. It is not known how Pillay got hold of the vehicle.
Pharella said although her car had a Gauteng registration number, on inspection by the traffic police it was found that its VIN and engine number were that of another vehicle in Mpumalanga. The officers who had stopped her notified Wesbank. Her car was impounded. Pharella says Pillay only refunded her R20000 of the R65000 she paid after Wesbank took her car.
Thandi Vilakazi, 34, of Craigavon near Fourways, the other victim, says she paid Pillay a cash amount of R99000 as she does not have a good credit rating.
In July after renewing her car licence, she was shocked when she was asked to produce car papers as they had found it was cloned.
"It later turned out that mine was cloned and the police impounded it after they inspected it," she says.
Vilakazi says it turned out that the legitimate Ford Fiesta is white and not the blue one she was driving. She says as her documents looked legitimate she did not suspect anything was amiss until her car was confiscated.
When she confronted Pillay he referred her to the salesman who had sold her the car.
She says she opened a fraud case at Jeppe police station.
"Though he promised the station commander he would refund or give me another car in three days [this] never happened," Vilakazi says.
The chief operating officer of the South African Insurance Crime Bureau, Hugo van Zyl says the crime of cloning is growing at alarming proportions.
"[It has] progressed from the typical tampering of identifiers . to the sophisticated cloning of vehicles with existing records on eNaTIS."
According to police crime statistics, 60% of 66360 vehicles were stolen or hijacked last year for the purpose of cloning.
Warrant Officer Richard Munyai confirmed they are investigating two cases of car cloning against Pillay. He asks anyone who may have fallen victim to a similar scam to report it at Jeppe police station.
Pillay argues that he was only a broker who sells cars on behalf of other sellers. He says he too is a victim as his friend sold him the cloned cars, claiming that Pharella and Vilakazi's payments went into the friend's account.
When Consumer Line presented proof that the money was actually transferred into his account, Pillay asked to verify this with his bank. When he found that this was indeed the case, Pillay offered to repay the victims in monthly instalments starting this month.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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