A taxi owner was shocked to discover that his identity document was used to purchase five Toyota Quantums without his knowledge.
Josias Masenya, 60, of Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal, says he had been a client of Vaal Toyota for 22 years, but last year when he wanted to buy a new Quantum, he discovered that the dealership had blocked him from buying from them. They accused him of selling five Quantums he had allegedly bought from them for cash in 2011.
Masenya says he bought a Quantum on January 7 2011 and it was financed by Toyota. He added that he has only dealt with one salesman - Johan Rossouw - for all these years.
"We even spoke in seSotho to ensure we understood each other and the sale agreement I was entering into," Masenya says.
Although Rossouw helped Masenya when he discovered that he was blocked from further purchases, Rossouw did not disclose that he was the one who sold five Quantums to Bargain Motors using Masenya's details.
He says Rossouw advised him to open a case of fraud and bring the case number to him so he could clear his name, which Masenya says he did.
Masenya says Vaal Toyota should have realised it was unusual for him to buy two more vehicles for cash three days after buying another on hire purchase.
"And Rossouw should have been more suspicious when 'I bought three more cars 10 days later'," Masenya says.
Masenya opened a case of fraud and investigations revealed that Rossouw had sold the vehicles to Bargain Motors and had earned commission with his ID. The vehicles were then taken to Lichtenburg, North West, where ownership was changed without Masenya's presence.
Masenya says Rossouw was arrested, but only spent a few minutes in police custody before being released. The case was transferred to Lenasia where a case of identity fraud was opened.
Ryn de Wet, the principal dealer at Vaal Toyota, said Masenya had nothing to worry about as his name had since been unblocked.
He said there was no denying that there was fraud involved when the five vehicles were bought in Masenya's name, but he also noted that he had suffered no monetary loss.
De Wet said there might have been negligence on Rossouw's part as there are many identity thieves who use clients' documents for their own purposes.
He claimed the practice was prevalent in the area and Toyota is trying to curb it. He said Rossouw could not have noticed that it was a different Masenya buying the five vehicles, "and besides, there were no FICA laws at the time".
De Wet said he would like to meet Masenya so he can resolve this matter amicably.
Wilene Rossouw, of David Mey & Partners Inc, later sent Sowetan an unsigned letter saying Rossouw's matter was sub judice and for that reason they do not wish to respond to Masenya's allegations. She also threatened to sue Sowetan if any defamatory allegations about Rossouw appeared in the paper.
Wilene did not say whether she was related to Rossouw and when Rossouw would appear in court.
Consumer advice
- If you go to a dealer with R200000 cash to buy a car, the dealer is obliged to ask you where you got the money from. If you say you have been keeping it under your mattress, the dealer must complete a form with your answer, which you both must sign.
- If the dealer suspects that the cash could have come from an illegal source, he has a duty to inform the Financial Intelligence Centre.
Their office is linked via computer to SARS, SAPS, Natis, Interpol and property registration offices nationally. They can trace all your activities simply by having your ID number.
For additional information check autoadvice.co.za/auto/fica-fais-and-the-nca
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Taxi owner caught up in ID fraud
A taxi owner was shocked to discover that his identity document was used to purchase five Toyota Quantums without his knowledge.
Josias Masenya, 60, of Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal, says he had been a client of Vaal Toyota for 22 years, but last year when he wanted to buy a new Quantum, he discovered that the dealership had blocked him from buying from them. They accused him of selling five Quantums he had allegedly bought from them for cash in 2011.
Masenya says he bought a Quantum on January 7 2011 and it was financed by Toyota. He added that he has only dealt with one salesman - Johan Rossouw - for all these years.
"We even spoke in seSotho to ensure we understood each other and the sale agreement I was entering into," Masenya says.
Although Rossouw helped Masenya when he discovered that he was blocked from further purchases, Rossouw did not disclose that he was the one who sold five Quantums to Bargain Motors using Masenya's details.
He says Rossouw advised him to open a case of fraud and bring the case number to him so he could clear his name, which Masenya says he did.
Masenya says Vaal Toyota should have realised it was unusual for him to buy two more vehicles for cash three days after buying another on hire purchase.
"And Rossouw should have been more suspicious when 'I bought three more cars 10 days later'," Masenya says.
Masenya opened a case of fraud and investigations revealed that Rossouw had sold the vehicles to Bargain Motors and had earned commission with his ID. The vehicles were then taken to Lichtenburg, North West, where ownership was changed without Masenya's presence.
Masenya says Rossouw was arrested, but only spent a few minutes in police custody before being released. The case was transferred to Lenasia where a case of identity fraud was opened.
Ryn de Wet, the principal dealer at Vaal Toyota, said Masenya had nothing to worry about as his name had since been unblocked.
He said there was no denying that there was fraud involved when the five vehicles were bought in Masenya's name, but he also noted that he had suffered no monetary loss.
De Wet said there might have been negligence on Rossouw's part as there are many identity thieves who use clients' documents for their own purposes.
He claimed the practice was prevalent in the area and Toyota is trying to curb it. He said Rossouw could not have noticed that it was a different Masenya buying the five vehicles, "and besides, there were no FICA laws at the time".
De Wet said he would like to meet Masenya so he can resolve this matter amicably.
Wilene Rossouw, of David Mey & Partners Inc, later sent Sowetan an unsigned letter saying Rossouw's matter was sub judice and for that reason they do not wish to respond to Masenya's allegations. She also threatened to sue Sowetan if any defamatory allegations about Rossouw appeared in the paper.
Wilene did not say whether she was related to Rossouw and when Rossouw would appear in court.
Consumer advice
Their office is linked via computer to SARS, SAPS, Natis, Interpol and property registration offices nationally. They can trace all your activities simply by having your ID number.
For additional information check autoadvice.co.za/auto/fica-fais-and-the-nca
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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