Car-theft victim fleeced again

Desperate to get their stolen property back, more and more unsuspecting victims of theft are being scammed again by crafty criminals, who prey on their vulnerability.

A local resident has become the latest victim of the infamous 'stolen car recovery' scam. The scam involves criminals masquerading as police officers and tow truck owners, asking victims of car theft to pay cash, up front, to retrieve their 'recovered vehicles'. Typically, the scam involves an ‘official’ claiming the car has been recovered in a different town or country and the owner needs to pay a sum of money via e-wallet to get it back, usually between R1 500 to R2 000.

Geraldine Pillay (26), the latest victim, said that she was left distraught after being played for a ‘fool’. She said her car was stolen in Pretoria West more than a week ago and was apparently recovered in a 12-hour period.

The honours Tshwane University of Technology student suspects that the Pretoria West police may be involved.

She said that she opened a case of theft of a motor vehicle and also a case of fraud (theft under false pretences) against a student policeman she believes was involved in the scam.

"I was meeting friends for supper on the night of the theft (March 28), at the McDonalds in Church Street, Pretoria West  and I parked in their parking lot. When I got out of my car, I made sure that everything was properly locked, as I always do. About an hour later, after enjoying our supper, we returned to the parking lot only to find, shockingly, that my vehicle had been stolen. I went to the Pretoria West police station, with a friend, to open a case on the same night. As I was filling out the documentation, one of the guys at the front desk, who was not in uniform as I think he was a student policeman, handed me a cell phone saying there was someone on the phone. He simply said 'just speak'.

"The person on the line identified himself as 'Captain Martin' and said he was my investigating officer. At the time I didn't think anything of it. The next day the ‘captain’ phoned me, claiming that my vehicle had been recovered in Botswana,” Geraldine said.

She went on to relate, “He told me the police didn't have the jurisdiction to cross the border and that they've got to bring the car to the border. He added that they required me to pay a towing fee. He told me it would be R2 500 which I said I didn't have. I then told him that I would let my insurance take care of matters, whereupon he said that this could take months. I think these guys just prey on your emotions, I was so relieved to hear that my car had been recovered, so I then managed to raise R2 000, hoping to get my car back quickly" added the 15th Avenue, Laudium resident.

Geraldine said it was only after she paid the ‘officer’ via e-wallet that she questioned what damages had been done to the vehicle.

"He told me that only the ignition had been damaged and I found that weird because I had locked my door and the only way for someone to get into the car was to damage the lock. That's when I had a horrible, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I asked this guy to send photos of my vehicle and he said he would do so, within an hour. “Since then I have not been able to get through to the number for more than a week. I am so disappointed by the way this whole thing has played out, especially as it involves the ‘police’, who we are supposed to trust. I am relating my story to the Laudium Sun, in order to warn other residents of these types of scams, in the hope that they don't fall for it. I am convinced that the guy who handed me the phone in the first place, had something to do with this whole incident. Now, not only am I without a car but I have lost R2 000 as well,” Geraldine exclaimed tearfully.

Constable Bongi Msimango, spokesperson for the Pretoria West SAPS confirmed that Geraldine had opened a case of fraud but could not say if any members from his station were suspects in the matter.

A photo of the VW Polo that was stolen outside the McDonalds in Pretoria West, last Wednesday, March 28.

Distraught 15th Avenue resident, Geraldine Pillay.


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