Urgent Vehicle Scam Warning

Over the last few years the Junk Mail Scam Busting Team has gone to great lengths to inform Junk Mail users about the variations of scams in the market place. Scammers are getting more crafty in the way they try to lure unsuspected victims. The good news is, we at Junk Mail are ensuring that our systems are improving to make sure more scammers get caught while trying to con.

It is important for all buyers and sellers to know about the various scams that are making their rounds. If you know how the scams operate then you will be smart enough to avoid these and other ploys. It is time to get scam smart by learning from the Junk Mail Scam Busting Team…

It has come to our attention that there is a syndicate of scammers trying to con buyers into purchasing cars that are way under market value. For those of you who are not aware this is how most Fake Vehicle Scams work, fraudsters get you to fall in love with a cheap car only to find out after paying a deposit that the car never existed.

Over the last few months variations of this scam have been popping up.  We have identified such a con artist on the Junk Mail webiste, this fraudster is trying to scam our users, we are on his heels but in order to catch him we need your help.

How This Scam Works: This scammer (who uses the e-mail adress matt-33331@hotmail.com) places fake adverts for a vehicles for sale. The advert is usually placed with a photo. The price for the vehicle is set at a value that is below market value. This is done in order to get the maximum response from honest prospective buyers. No phone number(s) are used in the adverts. The scammer does this to get potential buyers to respond via e-mail

Once a potential buyer responds to him via e-mail, the scammers replies with this type of message:

“Hello,

Sorry for the delayed response, but I’m in Kruger National Park right now and I have been very busy with my work.I shoot a documentary for National Geographic for two years, and in two weeks the documentary will be ready and I’ll go back home to United States. Anyway,thank you for your interest in buying the car. The total price of the XXXXXX (vehicle model) is R34 000. The car is registered in South Africa on my name and right now is located in  Johannesburg in my garage. I am selling this car at a very cheap price, because in US, with the money obtained for this car, I’ll buy a new car. In the U.S. the car prices are much much lower then here. The car is like new, in perfect conditions, accident free, no scratches, no special marks, no need for additional repairs, always garaged. You can see from the pictures . If you decide to buy the car i will bring it personally at your home anywhere in SA . I wait your email . 

Thank you”

If the potential buyer responds the above e-mail to get more details, the scammer sends out this next reply:

“Hi again,

I have spoken with my project manager and i can take a free day anytime to come and bring you the car. I also informed my wife about this (she is in US) and she told me that we must use a third party like eBay( www.eBay.com <http://www.eBay.com>) in order to be safe (my wife is a power seller on eBay so we can use their services for free). I want to use eBay because we are in a country like South Africa and we both know that we can find very bad people here. I am sorry to say it because i love this country, but yes, South Africa is not what it used to be. All i need from you is your full name and address so i can register you as potential buyer on eBay.

Full name :

Address:

Postal code :

Phone number :

After I will have all this details I will forward them to eBay Motors and I will proceed the order. eBay will contact you with all the details that you need to complete this deal and also to see that i am covered by them and that I am legit seller. When eBay will confirm me that you are a serious buyer i will go in Johannesburg to take the car and in 24 hours i will be at your home with the car and all the documents that you need to register the car under your name . When i come to you, if you do not like it by any reason you can refuse it and i will find another buyer.

Thank you”

Once the potential buyer makes the payment for this fake vehicle, the scammer will either avoid the potential buyer or spin a story about needing more money or even claim that the vehicle is at a fake address in a location in South Africa.

How to Avoid Fake Vehicle Scams:

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Does this sound to good to be true?
  • Can I contact this advertiser directly via phone?
  • Is this advertiser avoiding direct contact with me?
  • Is this advertiser’s e-mail address an e-mail address that can be created in less than 5 minutes on the internet?
  • Is this advertiser using broken English?
  • Is the advertiser asking you to make a payment via a Third Party Payment?

If you are able to answer YES to any or all of these questions above, the advert you are viewing is most likely a scam. At this point we ask you to please report this scam using the red “Report Advert” button on the right-hand side of the advert.

This particular scammer is attempting to defraud potential buyers using our site and we do not permit this on our free trading platform. The vehicles that are being advertised DO NOT EXIST. Junk Mail is also NOT affiliated with Ebay.com. These are all the tell-tale signs of a Fake Vehicle Scam.

REMEMBER: If you come accross a possible scam advert, please make use of the “Report Advert” option that is provided for each advert on the website. You can also report the possible scam to Junk Mail Customer Care via ccc@junkmail.co.za or via phone on 012-3423840 x2295 (during office hours). If a member of the Junk Mail Scam Busting Team does not respond via one of these channels, you can also notify us about a scam on the wall of the Junk Mail Facebook Fan page or by mentioning your query to @JMClassifieds on Twitter.

If you have any comments / suggestion regarding this, please comment on this post. Feedback on this post is appreciated and welcome. Please share this post with your fellow Junk Mail Users / Friends to make them aware of this scam and don’t become a victim.

Junk Mail posts various scam warnings on the Avoid Scams section on the Junk Mail website, so make sure you read this section carefully to be aware of the scams that are circulating. Junk Mail also posts regular updates about scams under the Safety and Security section to keep all our users informed.

This scam warning is brought to you by the Junk Mail Scam Busting Team. Junk Mail promotes a safe trading zone for buyers and sellers to transact. 

REMEMBER TO BE SMART, SAVVY AND SAFE WHEN BUYING AND SELLING!

Henno Kruger

Digital Marketing Campaign Coordinator at Junk Mail Publishing.

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139 Responses

  1. T Venter says:

    I advertised my bakkie and was contacted via e-mail from a US buyer, I had to open a paypal account and e-mail the e-mail adress through, once doing that the porential buyer did not reply, How can they harm me I gave only my paypal e-mail adress?

    • Henno Kruger says:

      @T Venter Unless this person has your log-in details to your Paypal account, they won’t have access to your funds

      • Trevor says:

        Hi Henno

        I was just scammed by the same people, for a Landrover discovery, they are from the UK, and they work for National Geographic, they did a photo shoot in south Africa and the movie will be launched in 2 weeks, they even send me a piece of the documentary, there names are Rachel and Kobus de lange, I had to pay the money threw MoneyGram at Bidvest and the wife is a power seller at ebay, everything looked fine cause I was even receiving mails from ebay. I lost R16000.00, so people please be careful don’t trust anybody, I even got there street address in London uk.

  2. Atty Naiker says:

    I got a call yesterday afternoon (1 Feb) regarding my bakkie for sale.
    A Namibian truck driver who is willing to pay me cash before even seeing the vehicle. He wanted to meet me in JHB South and would come with me to the bank and pay them and then go to the police Station to make an affidavid regarding the sale.
    His cell number is 073 388 3035 and his name is George.

    • Sherri says:

      Atty Naiker,

      I also have been approached in the exact same way (today Aug 7). Except the man’s name is Trevor and has a different phone number. He said he exports vehicles to the North. Did you ever respond to George?

      I’m not sure how to proceed.

      Thanks!

      • Henno Kruger says:

        Thanks for your feedback Sherri. Keep our Customer Care department in the loop. You can reach them via ccc@junkmail.co.za or telephonically on 012-3423840 x2295.

      • marcel says:

        The guys claiming to export the vehicles etc are scammers! They dont want you to meet them with the vehicle for sale due to not wanting millage to be increased. Once you meet them they go with you to get the cash and have a fake diamond deal with another guy, and when you tell them you not interested in funny business, they pull a gun and make you draw money at an ATM then drive you to a location and rob you. If you dont have enough money they steal your car too. It happened to me! Do not even respond. These are dangerouse guys!

  3. Ettiene says:

    Hello,
    can anyone advise me please?

    I am selling my car on Junk Mail.
    Someone replied from the United States , they haven’t seen the car but want me to open a pay pal account to transfer the money?They wanted close up photos of the vehicle and said that it’s a present for their parent’s who stays in SA.”i WILL HOWEVER BE PAYING YOU BY PAY PAL AND INSIT ON THIS PAYMENT MEDIUM BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE ACCES TO MY BANK ACCOUNT ONLINE AS I DON’T HAVE INTERNET BANKING” . This person also asked for our exchange rates so that they can make the payment asap.Apparently they already have a shipping agent and the fee will be included in the payment.

    What should I do? And what could happen?

    • Junk Mail Admin says:

      Hi Charlene – Thanks for your comment. This is a scam. Please forward our Customer Care Department the e-mail that you received via ccc@junkmail.co.za – Don’t open up a PayPal account. Delete any further e-mails of this kind that you receive. This person will eventually trick you into paying money into his account to buy your own vehicle. Remember: If something sounds too good to be true, it’s probably false.

  4. Leon says:

    I have recieved the same calls from this Namibian driver, twice this week and from 2 differant numbers. He wants to buy my truck but i must go to Rustenburg and then we’ll go to the bank ect. Cannot remember the name he used. the number is 0783259822

  5. Inter says:

    I was approached the same way by a Namibian truck driver who is in SA, Rustenburg to deliver some machinery to Impala Platinum. He wanted to pay me for a car he hasn’t seen and succesfully lured me to go to Rustenburg from Johannesburg and wanted to come with another car and not the one I advertised. He call himself Yafet with cell number 0788701700. He realised I came with someone to Rustenburg and got scared but still managed to get R300.00 MTN airtime from me. I should have listened to my first instincts!

  6. Dave Muir says:

    I have been called by a Namibian truckdriver interested in the Merc I put up for sale in Junkmail. He said his name is Erasmus, and he wanted to pay the full amount into my account and then go to a police station etc.etc.etc. Just like a story I have read on this blog previously. Then today I get a call from a different “Namibian” expressing interest in my 4×4 that I have listed for sale. This sounded VERY suspicious to me, so I googled a few key words and came up with this blog. What a relief that I was so suspicious!!!

  7. rosemary says:

    Hi I dont know how to do this but I would like to inform that there is a guy name Morne Whelan from Alberton that is busy scamming people unfortanly we were one of them we did a background check on him and were arrested on 28-09-2011 for a bmw that he stole we are looking for people that also were scam by him the latest scam he is running pay dep in to his account and then you dont see your car or hear from him if there is people out there that knows him please help us to stop him

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Hi Rosemary – Thanks for letting us know about this. Please forward all the details that you have to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za.

    • Mona Preller says:

      Hi you can call me on 0814840716 or 0792686119. He got a R6500 deposit from us in beginning of January. We were able to get his id number from itc, but we even battle to get hold of anyone in the police that is willing to open a criminal case. Please contact me urgently so we can stop this criminal.

      • Henno Kruger says:

        Hi Mona – Our Customer Care Department will be contacting during the day. Thanks for reporting this to us.

    • mohammed says:

      Hey concerining the morne whelan case here his numb 0760988799 if any1 can’t get him I managed to track him down n get him aressted but his out on bail n the law doesn’t seem to be working in our favour bt for the criminal

  8. Missy says:

    I have been looking for a used car not only on junkmail. I have found that there are the same cars being advertised on each site with different prices/mileage and so on, with personal details. How do I know for sure who is a serious seller or a scammer? Is it safe to buy from a private seller. Some prices are way below market value on certain cars, are all those known to be scams? This would be my first car I would be buying.

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Hi Missy – If a person wants you to pay for a car before you’ve seen it, don’t pay them. Some scammers ask for holding deposits in most cases. Other scammers advertise vehicles well below market value and only want to correspond with you via e-mail. They’ll also ask you for money before you’ve even viewed the vehicle. There are some genuine vehicle sellers out there. Just be careful and vigilant. Trust your gut. If you’re unsure about an advert being a scam or not, please forward the advert details to our Customer Care department via ccc@junkmail.co.za so they can confirm for you.

  9. Laura says:

    In the last 2 months I have had 5 phone calls from different numbers and I think different guys all with the same story. They are Namibian truck drivers, coming to Vereeniging for work and very keen on my car. Will pay cash into my account, can i take the car up tomorrow, then we can go to the police station etc. The last call I had added incredible detail if I hadn’t had the other calls first I would have been conned! Don’t know what would happen if I went, but doesn’t seem good

  10. Henri says:

    Hi Henno, i have been sending emails to ccc@junkmail.co.za; support@automart.co.za; webmaster@allicatpublishing.co.za; for the last two weeks about fraudulent listings and scams on their automart website. To date i have received no reply at all and all the vehicles are still listed.???

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Hi Henri – The Junk Mail adverts have been removed. I will follow up with the Automart Webmaster regarding this. Apologies for the late response.

  11. marko says:

    Received a phone call from “George” on cell nr +27783259822 regarding an add I placed, I see he has been busy for a while now.

  12. Frik Strauss says:

    HI I BEEN REPLY TO A AD ON GUMTREE A TOYOTA YARIS WAS UP FOR SALE ALSO THROUGH E BAY MOTOTS WHERE 50% OF THE MONEY MUST BE SENT TO A PRIVATE PERSON VIA WESTERN UNION SERVICES IN LONDON THEN YOU MUST SENT HIM THE MTCN NO WHEN THE MONEY ARE RELEASED THEY WILL BRING THE CAR NO PROOF WHAT SO EVER LUCKY I READ YOUR STORIES THANKS A MILLION

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Glad we could help Frik 🙂

      • Frik Strauss says:

        Thanks again the same person mailed me this morning with a new story i told him i am not interrested any more he then ensure me this is not a scam i asked him if i can see the motor up to now no reply i think he is sad been caught out

    • This exact same thing happened to me right now just before sending this note, with the person saying they are working in the UK and i must deposit 50% of total for car and car will be sent/shipped to me at sellers expense then i can keep car for 10 days to test drive and inspect.
      I happened to want to check out the garage they say i will be working through eBay motors and i came across this site and the rest is history .
      Make me’s so mad

  13. Jan says:

    I was recently scammed for R27000 for an Opel Corsa utility. I needed the car sobadly that I couldn’t see this scam coming. The person goes by the name of Remy Flera – CEO National Geographic South Africa and I transfered the money into this account: Account Name………. DM Fourie
    Account Number……. 133 707 2875
    Branch………………… 470010
    Bank Name………….. Capitec Bank
    Country……………….. South Africa

    Anyone knows how to get my money back?

  14. Geraldo says:

    hi there

    My fiance and I were nearly caught with this scam, we were looking for a small car for her to travel to work and back and when i saw this add i couldnt believe it. I contacted him via email and he sent me the above responses to which i replied with the basic info needed. My fiance then searched his name and occupation and found out he was busy scamming people. Luckily we did not make any payments to him.

    Hope he gets caught and serves time for his crimes

  15. Jan says:

    I was also contacted by this Flera Remy person. Here is how the email looks:

    —————————

    Hello,

    Sorry for the delayed response, but I’m in Kruger National Park right now and I have been very busy with my work.I shoot a documentary for National Geographic for two years, and in two weeks the documentary will be ready and I’ll go back home to United States.
    Anyway,thank you for your interest in buying the car. The total price of the 1988 OPEL KADETT 2.0 GSI is R10400. The car is registered in South Africa on my name and right now is located in Johannesburg in my garage.I sell it so cheap, because in US, with the money obtained for this car, I’ll buy a new car. In the U.S. the car prices are much much lower then here.
    The car is like new, in perfect conditions, accident free, no scratches, no special marks, no need for additional repairs, always garaged. You can see from the pictures . If you decide to buy the car i will bring it personally at your home anywhere in SA . I wait your email .

    Thank you,
    Remy.

    —————————

    I thought it was a legitemate deal, but then I did some research and read this post and did not send him any info or details. Here is another response of what he sent afterwards:

    —————————

    Hi again,

    I have spoken with my project manager and i can take a free day anytime to come and bring you the car. I also informed my wife about this (she is in US) and she told me that we must use a third party like eBay( http://www.ebaymotors-za.com/vehicles/purchase_protection_program/overview.html ) in order to be safe(my wife is a power seller on eBay so we can use their services for free). I want to use eBay because we are in a country like South Africa and we both know that we can find very bad people here .I am sorry to say it because i love this country, but yes, South Africa is not what it used to be.

    All i need from you is your full name and address so i can register you as potential buyer on eBay .

    Full name :
    Address:
    Postal code :
    Phone number :

    After I will have all this details I will forward them to eBay Motors and I will proceed the order. eBay will contact you with all the details that you need to complete this deal and also to see that i am covered by them and that I am legit seller.

    Here is how this deal will work:
    1). I will forward the details of our transaction to the eBay Buyer Protection.
    2). They will process the paperwork and will email you the Payment Invoice and the transaction details.
    3). You will have to submit the payment ( so you can prove that you are a serious buyer) as instructed to one of the eBay agents in South Africa via bank account.
    4). The payment will be verified by eBay and if everything is OK I will meet you and i will let the car with you for 10 days, for inspection and testing.
    5). After those 10 days, you will have to inform eBay if you gonna buy the car or not. If not, eBay will make you a FULL refund and I will take the car away but I don’t think it will be our case because the car is impeccable.
    6.) If you decide to keep the car, you will have to contact ebay so they can forward me the payment.

    When eBay will confirm me that you are a serious buyer i will go in Johannesburg to take the car and in 24 hours i will be at your home with the car and all the documents that you need to register the car under your name . When i come to you,if you do not like it by any reason you can refuse it and i will find another buyer .

    Thank you,
    Remy.

    —————————

    So luckily I did not reply further, but please try to catch this guy or ban his email from your site.

    Here is some more details I have gathered of this guy:

    Email: fleraremy@live.co.za
    He has a sky drive listed under the name of Roscoe Wood, here is the link: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=f1fe984b58493a4f&id=F1FE984B58493A4F!10267&Bsrc=Photomail&Bpub=SDX.Photos&sff=1&authkey=!ANxsTXsMP5vEnVw#cid=F1FE984B58493A4F&authkey=!ANxsTXsMP5vEnVw

  16. Teror says:

    Please stop this scammer once, ban this scammer the ads title or something.

  17. Candy says:

    LAST WEEK MY HUSBAND SAW AN ADVERT ON JUNKMAIL FOR A TOYOTA RUNX 1.6I 2004 MODEL FOR R31 000-00.
    WHEN THE PERSON REPLIED IT WAS THIS SAME REMY PERSON FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS AND WE RECEIVED THE EXACT SAME EMAIL LISTED HERE. THANK GOD WE WERE TOOBUSY TO EVEN RESPOND, PLEASE BEWARE PEOPLE, NEVER PAY FOR SOMETHING YOU DONT HAVE IN YOUR POSSESSION.

  18. maxine says:

    i’m trying to buy a car and 100% of the people i have contacted is asking me to send them petrol money to bring the car so i can view it. how can i send someone money that i have never met and have no way to get in touch with unless by phone. i think this is a scam to get money, they normally ask for R500, imagine if they get R500 from four people per day how much money are they making?

  19. Gerhard says:

    I responded an ad for a Hilux for sale, before paying money over i found out that it is a scam. The guy i getting aggressive now that i did not pay the money.
    Here is some of responses i got after telling him to bug off:

    “Who do you think you are? I have your address, is time for a visit, my gypsey will come to your door. Speak to you later at home, I am from mafia Gomorah. Your life will cost me 5000 EURO. I swear on God and my kids, I do my word you will be dead in 7 days. Or I will kill your family so you can see with your eyes. Do you want to mess with me? I told you not speak like that with me, Italia will be dear, will bomb your house Bagamiasi pula in mata si mortii matii de cacat obosit !!!!!!!! 5000 euros for your head!!!!!!! 6 days and 23 hours and you will die. 5000 euros spent, my friend Jamal from Benrose will be there with his guys. You will see the dead, pay the money and buy the bakkie. Jamal will be there, in South africa for R20 000 you will be dead. Do you think I am your fool right? 6 days and 22 hours.”

    Do i need to worry about this? Please anyone that got treats as well respond to this.

  20. Gerhard says:

    Hi Henno

    He stopped with the threats wen after a wile.

    Hope that is the end of that

  21. Lisa says:

    Hi all. i saw an add for a Tazz that is R15 000, the guy says the bank is about to take his house that is why he is selling so cheap, he is willing to come to Pta from witbank to do the deal, he has an african accent maybe ghana, very broken english. is this a scam

    • Henno Kruger says:

      That sounds like a scam. He probably wants a holding deposit for the car too. Don’t pay him and don’t drive to him to view the vehicle

  22. philip says:

    A guy selling a corsa bakkie wants to use ebay to do the deal , he says he’ in uk and needs to buy a vehicle he says ebay will protect both of us

  23. Apie says:

    Had the same experience from a guy claiming he is from Namibia and a truck driver delivering scrap metal to a well known company in Epping. He claimed to be working for a company called Namdep, his name is Ronnie. Also wanting to pay cash into my acccount. I even checked with this company in Epping if a Namdep truck delivered there this morning and they confirmed that they did.
    These people are well connected. They put a lot of planning in their scamming. It was a close shave but luckily i was not caught in it. This is the number he phoned from
    +27604573620

  24. karen says:

    HI

    does anyone know of a christo who seems to sell alot of cars for cheaper than market value generally in the pretoria area
    cell numbers 0799910950 & 0730876464. He has been listed as a regular user with gumtree since 2012 June but has changed cell numbers?

  25. albert says:

    hi i just wane know what you guys think i might be in the process of buying a car from a lady.She and her husband got dev recently and she moved to england and wants to sell her car here ins SAI did a bit of homework and found that the car is ligit but i am not sure where the car is sutuated for veiwing.i dont know if she is scared of her ex to tell me where the car is for viewing.She wants to sell yhe car over ebay.theres just a couple of red flags going up for me.Please give me some advise please

    • Hi Albert. Please make sure that you view the vehicle first before making a payment as scammers can be very convincing. Please have a look at this article on the Junk Mail blog on some more information on how to spot a scam.

  26. George says:

    Had the same experience from a guy claiming he is from Namibia and a truck driver delivering scrap metal. He claimed to be working for a company called Namdep, his name I can’t remember. Also wanting to pay cash into my account.
    +27 717230311

  27. Eben says:

    Two weeks ago i had the same thing happen to me a guy called trevor phoned me wanting my car i advertised on gumtree, i met up with him in goodwood cape town he said he was a Namibian truck driver for a diamond company then he said hell take the car cash and that i should just speak to a lady on the his phone because he does not speak english then i had to ask her if she has his money she then told me she has it he can collect so he said okay lets just drive there its up the road so when i came there he fetched this mysterious lady and she got in my car and before i knew it they had me translating a diamond deal so i told them to get out and i drove off he then phoned me and said if i can just send him airtime he can call his wife to pay me for the car i said no give me your wife’s number so that i can conference call you and the number he then gave me did not exist never heard from him again

    His number is
    Trevor
    +27 (72) 5288440

  28. Pieter says:

    Hi There, same thing happened to me today. A guy called Thomas , a Namibian truck driver who wanted to buy my bakkie in cash. Next thing I know I’m busy in a middle of a diamand deal and the lady even showed me the cash. I also had to be the translater. Lucky I realised this is a scam and told him to get out of the bakkie. He even started crying because of his wife in hospital! Never drive to meet someone to sell anything!

  29. Phillip says:

    We were twice contact by this so called diamond scammers. We nearley fell for their trick but was lucky enough to discover in an earley stage that this was a scam and could escaped unharm. The second time we were ready for it and did not fall for it. First was a so called Namibian guy and second time it was a local guy. Both were from around Somerset West/ Strand area.

    Today we also react on an ad for a car far below trade and was told to contact “e-bay” and must pay a deposit and they will deliver the car. Contact e-bay directly and confirm the transaction was not from them.

  30. glory says:

    I received a message saying I won a Toyota 2014 model via auto mart. And the number I’m supposed to call is a cell phone number

    • Hi Glory

      This is definitely a scam because Auto Mart are not giving away any cars. We will announce the competition and the rules for entering on our social pages and not individually to each cell phone number. Please ignore this.

  31. adnah says:

    I saw a very smart car vw golf gti 55000 the person said he was here for his civil engineering and now the contract is finished he is gone back to Bulgaria so that’s the reason why he is selling the car for cheap price and he also told me that I need to pay all the amount in order to get the car and I can have it for 5 days and return it if I don’t want it on his expense to me its too good to b true thank u for the information it helped me a lot.I almost fell into this scam

  32. Dmitri says:

    The namibian guy is still very active, wanted to meet also in Rustenburg luckily I smelled a rat and got to this page. Almost had me too

  33. Vusi says:

    a guy called David Poulet from France says he wants to donate his 3door Golf 5 GTi bought in SA pretoria, reason for donating it is his based in Rep ot Togo and the law doesnt allow RHS drive, he wants a person who’ll pay for shipment…how true is this

  34. I saw a add on junk mail a silver golf 4 R32 in kroonstad i was asked to pay
    Deposit is this a scam please advise

  35. M. Ntaopane says:

    HI I am in Lesotho and I have seen good cars here which are very cheap “UsedCarSouthAfrica.com”. Iam very suspicious on the prices, is this not a scam?

    • Hi,

      While I can’t say for sure, it definitely seems to be a scam site, unless they do not moderate their ads and scammers have realised this.

      Thanks for the heads-up!

  36. Grant says:

    HI Guys so I have a BMW for sale and a guy by the name of buti sent me a mail on olX and then called me 5 times today. Eventually I returned his call and he insisted I come through to rustenburg as he is a truck driver from namibia and can’t drive to jhb can I please come through to do the deal we will go to the bank and transfer the cash and go to the police station to do the affidavit. I asked him why would he pay me and doesn’t want me to do bring the car along???? So if junk mail wants to get this scam artist he is expecting me there tomorrow would love to have him locked up and charged. Thank you for this blog as I could have been a victim to this disgrace of a human. He also goes by the name of rodney and buti.

    • Hi Grant,

      Thanks for the info! While we can’t arrest scammers, even though we would love to, you can inform the Rustenburg Police to meet him.

      We are very happy to hear you haven’t been scammed!

  37. Garren says:

    These guys just tried their trick with us , upon arrival we met a chap by the name Noah he informed us to go past a shopping center in Vereeniging too collect the cash which was rather funny cause we asked for a transfer
    Luckily it was myself and my father
    When we got to the centre another man came their with “fake money ” R170 000 and said we must wait 20min for the rest of the cash
    Then said go to wimpy and wait we will bring the money
    He left and Noah was still in the car when we got to the wimpy right next to the fnb bank he asked us to leave the car there and go with him to another man around the corner
    Which sounded very dodgy cause he had uncut diamonds on him and said this man will give him the cash very quickly and we could be on our way
    Which I then stood in and told him to go by himself cause I want no part of illegal dealings , then made our way to the wimpy
    Noah then left and went on his way
    So I turned around to my father and said this is rather fishy and let’s get out of here .
    When we left he called threatening us and I laughed at him telling them that I know what they look like and will be returning to sort this thief out
    Moral of the story if it’s to go to be true DONT DO IT.
    Thankfully I came past this post and now know what could of happened
    Thank you

  38. Charles says:

    Hi I was conned with the diamond deal when I realized what was going on the guys stole my phone and tablet They wanted to buy my car advertised on Gumtree.

    We met up at Groote Schuur Hospital where is alleged sisters child was ill We then had to collect the money from a lady in Waterfront Somerset Hospital which drove to come see but cannot drive with his truck there.

    4 people one also coloured lady involved Seapoint
    Namibian truck driver story working for Oranjemund diamonds, going by the name of Gustav and spoke Afrikaans fluently. He has a Scar on his right side eye and was tall.

    I’m still highly upset about this and hope no one fall for these guys tricks as they put alot of effort into planning these heists and are very convincing

  39. ivy says:

    Hi,I almost got scammed coz I saw a Opel Corsa 1.4 sport on junk mail for 18 000 with 91 000 km and emailed then got this reply,i should transfer money to eBay and after 2 days I will get the car delivered and get a 10 days refund after inspecting and if I don’t like it..the seller is saying he is i the UK now coz of work..

  40. Thando says:

    Or the scammer will reply with this email.

    “Hi there, thanks for e-mailing us.We are in UK at the moment. The car is still available and it’s in excellent shape inside-out, no accidents, always garage kept, never smoked in. It has no mechanical problems, dings, dents or scratches. There are no liens or loans on the car and it has a clean title.My husband is a DAS Shipping Company employee and he can deliver the car at no cost everywhere.
    The price is R30.000.
    The transaction will be managed by eBay, so everything will go smooth.If you are interested in completing this deal with us, just give me a reply as soon as possible and I will keep the car for you.
    Thank you,
    Diana”

  41. lionel says:

    check out advert u58227221 all a bldy scam he has abt 30 adverts

  42. Rene says:

    I enquired about an add where you take someone’s installments over. I just received an response from a Trevor just now ”

    i Rene

    Thank you for the enquiry.

    We obtain our vehicles through assisting people who are unable to maintain their monthly payment to the bank and then getting suitable parties to take over those payments.

    There is a high demand for these type of vehicles from people who are either black listed or just unable to obtain conventional financing from the major banks etc., as there are

    · No Credit Checks
    · No affordability checks
    · Low or no deposit

    Although we have a steady flow of vehicles the demand is very high, as soon as we receive a vehicle it is booked out immediately, it is therefore that we have to operate a waiting list for those who are serious and really want a vehicle.

    How we operate is that we charge a flat fee of R1000 per agreement (payable only once we have found ‘your’ ideal vehicle), we do not take any percentage of any instalments or deposit if applicable.

    We believe in total transparency in that you the client will be receiving the bank statement and the monthly payment will be as reflected thereon.

    Unfortunately due to the high cost in marketing and our administration services which includes monitoring various internet sites, emails, telephone calls, travelling and so forth we have to charge a fee to be placed on our waiting list. This fee is refundable should we not be able to locate your vehicle as can be seen below.

    We require a nominal payment of R200 upfront for placement on the waiting list. This payment will be deducted from the transactional fee of R1000 once we have reached an agreement on a vehicle.
    In other words you will only be required to make a further payment of R800 upon location of the required vehicle and finalisation of the agreement.

    The requirement of the fee also eliminates time wasters and those who are not serious.

    Should we not be able to assist with a suitable vehicle within 30 days of placement on the waiting list we will refund. In general we manage to help most within a week or two.

    Please advise whether you wish to proceed.

    Thank you
    Trevor Musgrove
    072 810 4187
    Caltro Legal
    http://www.caltrolegal.co.za

    My answer to his response
    “Hi Trevor
    Although you are good in how you portray your so called business you are unfortunately dealing with an educated person. A fee to be put on a waiting list? Seriously? You must be making millions scamming people. You and your partners will be apprehended very soon. Enjoy while you can…….”

  43. Roshan says:

    Hi my name is Roshan,

    I think I may have been scammed ove ra car deal. A guy by the name of Trevor from Caltro legal in Joburg finds suitable buyers to take over car installment’s, he had a car advertised which I really liked ,I was asked to pay R500 deposit booking fee . I haven’t heard from him since.

    Please let me know if this is a scam or not

    Roshan

  44. Roshan says:

    “This is the reply I got from “Trevor”

    Hi Roshan

    Thank you for the enquiry.

    Our main business is assisting people with sequestrations, debt review, liquidations and business rescue etc., We are not car traders/dealers.

    We obtain our vehicles through assisting people who are unable to maintain their monthly payment to the bank and then getting suitable people to make those payments. Payments vary between R1000 and R15 000 pm. That person will then start paying monthly whatever the payment is until the vehicle is settled. The period of repayment can be between 12 and 48 months. All types of vehicles are taken in. We are not a bank/financial institution so therefore we do not do financial/credit checks.

    There is a high demand for these types of vehicles from people who are either black listed or just unable to obtain conventional financing from the major banks etc., as there are

    No Credit Checks

    · No affordability checks

    · No deposit

    · Very low costs

    You will receive the bank statement; all payments are paid by you direct into the bank account. No payments to any third party.

    We charge a flat all-inclusive facilitation fee of R1000 per agreement; this can be paid over two months if required.

    Although we have a steady flow of vehicles the demand is very high, this is due to the fact we do not do checks and the low costs involved, as soon as we receive a vehicle it is booked out immediately.

    We have attached a list of vehicles that are due to be available from the 28th September 2015. The current owners will not be in a position to make payment from the 1st October 2015, and you will be required to make your first payment upon signing the agreement.

    Should you not be interested as to what is on the list, we can try and assist in finding the required vehicle. We cannot control what vehicles come in but we can look for certain ones.

    Please advise whether you wish to proceed.

    Thank you
    Trevor Musgrove
    076 104 5610
    Caltro Legal

    http://www.caltrolegal.co.za

  45. Rene says:

    Hi Roshin

    See my post just before yours about Trevor.

  46. Vicky says:

    Since you have the account number that you paid the booking fee into, are you not able to lay a charge against these people? Or even get your money back? He had to be KYCed in order to open the account. I gave Trevor R700 & then he stopped answering my emails or answering his phone. Desperately needed a car.

  47. donald says:

    I’m warning people about a man called trevor musgrove on emails calls himself trevor john.this guy is a crook and pretend to sell bakkies via take over installment.he therefore claims for deposit and once he received the money then he is gone.he can’t even take calls on all his phones.Who ever knows this guy pls supply police with information as he is already reported to Sa police for fraud.please everyone help to trace this man.

  48. wayne says:

    The guy using 0760988799 calls him self Stephen took me for R17000 on a bakkie deposit. Case is open at Meyerton police station.

  49. Jackie says:

    I was scammed by guy Morne Willemse 078 302 3708 – says he stays in the Parys/Vanderbijlpark area. I had to pay deposit on a bakkie to take over installments and he disappeared with the cash… He had many excuses why he could not deliver the vehicle and eventually said he will refund me, which he never did. I informed a police friend but nothing has come from it… so I took a chance and advertised again that I wanted to take over installments and guess who phones me today… idiot. And speaks to me as if he never spoke to me before to pitch the awesome deal he has… Told him he must pay back my money (this is now weeks after the first time he called me) or he will see himself land in jail. He said he will check his account because he knows he paid me back.. but is sent him numerous messages (which was delivered and read) telling him I want my money. I know I won’t get it back. I am going to the police now to open a formal case. I know he can be traced.

    • Hi Jackie,

      We are very sorry to hear that you’ve fallen victim to a scammer.

      Please send the SAPS Case number to Scam@JunkMail.co.za, they already have the above details.

      Please remember to never pay for anything you haven’t seen or been able to verify.

    • karen says:

      Hi there. i have just had a very close encounter with the same guy Morne’. his changed his no to 0630912907. i advertised looking to buy a car. he called me saying he has a car in parys outside of vandebijlpark. he wanted me to send him money to install a tracker before he could deliver. cudnt give me any bank details as the buyer already been to the bank but that i must do an e-wallet. i picked up immediately it was a scam thank goodness.. please be careful. this guy is such a smooth operator. hope he gets caught

  50. Chris Joubert says:

    Hi There
    I am extremely embarrassed that I could fall for such a scam. Yesterday I received a call from Namibian citizen speaking fluent impeccable Afrikaans. My Audi RS5 was listed with Junk mail for quite some time now, and he offered me a cash deal of R700,000.00 …. But I had to keep the car for a couple days until he could arrange transport and I could serve him all the proper documentations. I had to meet him in Vereeniging this morning, On meeting Daniel Thomas, a scared faced with two golden front teeth, well dressed, but not overdressed – virtually no interest in the Audi, he immediately coached me into discussion of the diamond trade that he is working for.
    He took me to Merriman Ave in Vereeniging where he would collect his money, At that stage I was very uncomfortable with the issue and asked him to leave my car. Just at that moment a gentleman with a typical Moslem robe wanted to enter the car.
    After evicting both from my car, they still wanted to business.
    I am sure that this is the same group of guys that most people discuss in previous blogs. I had a very good look at the Namibian.
    It was definitively a SCAM I just don’t know what.
    People be very careful when you place any add on Junk mail. I had from a Lt Col offering me large sums of money to marriage proposals potential high jacking’s but not ONE offer to purchase

    • Hi there. We are very sorry to hear about your ordeal.

      Please can we request that you send all the details about the potential scammer to scam@JunkMail.co.za.

      We have looked into the emails you received and have blocked every spam responder from using the site for any purposes.

      Please note these cars are not, as you might very well know, affordable and as such won’t sell very fast. If you haven’t sold the car yet, let us know and we will move it to a home page listing for you.

      Thank you for using Junk Mail!

  51. Susa says:

    Hey

    I am currently in the process of buying a bakkie from Kobus and Rachel Venter. It is also a junkmail turned e-bay scheme. I am all for legitimate sales but the fact that she is a power seller on ebay and does not have an e-bay sellers ID is what red flagged the deal for me.

  52. Sylvester Dun says:

    How can i verify if a placed advert for a car is a scam or genuine. Most car deals that i have found so far just look so exaggerated. A 2015 kia cerrato with about 16000 km on the clock selling for R40 000.
    Please help .

  53. Ivan Greyling says:

    Thank God for this article, almost took one right between the legs for 26K…

    Same Kobus and Rachel wanted 26000 for a Can Am Spyder. Add has now been deleted.

  54. Gb says:

    This Kobus and Racheal selling ford Ranger for less that 50, 000 Rands and want me to pay through ebay. But how do you allow fake people like that. Good to know that Kobus and Racheal are fraudsters.

    • Hi there,

      Unfortunately there is no way for us to detect an advertiser has scamming intentions before the ad is moderated by our Scam Buster Team.

      Please be so kind as to send us details of their email address and any other information you might have to Scam@JunkMail.co.za.

      Thank you in advance!

  55. Migael says:

    we have been scammed by a guy who goes by a few different names.. Quinton Beldtus, Mike Alloy and Tal Anderson. he claims to work for a company called AR Trading in Kimberley. advertised a golf cart for R16500 – we ended up paying R30000 for the thing and then the bastard disappeared. cant get hold of him. emails i have for him are quintonbeldtus37@yahoo.com and ar.trading.co2013@gmail.com
    he posts on junkmail and on gumtree. help me find this idiot because i’m going to rip his face off. cant believe people do this!

  56. Mimi says:

    ok, i have not yet been scammed, i got redirected to this site because i am doing a research on a seller by the Robert Dubois who wants to sell me his 2006 RENAULT CLIO DYNAMIQUE 16V BLACK for R16000.00 and for some reason this seems too good to be true, he send me an email that reads:
    Thanks for your interest in my car. The car is still available and in
    excellent condition. I’m from France. I lived and worked in South
    Africa for one year as Medical assistant for the Red Cross
    International but presently; I’m in republic of Togo for a new job.
    I bought the car in South Africa, the car is still
    registered in South Africa. The given price R16,000 is a Give away
    price because since i brought the car here i can’t use it due to the
    fact that the constitution here does not allow the Right Hand Drive
    cars. I’m not sure of coming back to South Africa and the car will be
    useless if i couldn’t get somebody who can ship the car back to South
    Africa and take good care of it.
    If you are interested, I can find a transport company here to
    transport the car back to South Africa for you. The transport cost
    will be deducted from the R16,000(price on the ad)
    and attached the vehicle’s pictures, but after i replied to him saying that i am interested but will only make payment upon the vehicle being delivered to me, he replied by saying:

    This car is like my first son and I want you to promise that you will take good car of it.
    The car is still in excellent condition and the car has never been in
    any accident and there are no rust on the body. The service record is
    ok and the License is still up to October 2016, the Road Worthy
    Certificate is available and ok and the car is still registered in
    South Africa on my behalf.

    The payment option is 50% deposit to cover the transport cost before delivery and 50% deposit upon delivery.

    I told him i will not be paying for a vehicle i haven’t see and that if he cannot understand my situation then he can sell to someone else, I am still waiting for his response…

  57. Thuli says:

    Was also scammed of R25000.00 cause was trying to buy a car and I deposited it.When delivery was due they told me many stories and I had to go to FNB to the manager to show him all the banking details.Fortunately they were able to block the account.Now cellphones are off and fax is not working!!

  58. Shady says:

    Hi guys
    Am also a lil embarrassed to say this co I am usually careful of these things. I saw an advert and fell for it. This guy asked for a deposite which I gave him only R5000 coz I didn’t have enough. He said he will deliver a car but later brought another excuse with a driver that I need to put in another money at spar n that became a total of R7500 and imagine I borrow this money. Up until today there is no car. Am a ill angry so am typing correct. I have his details like bank a count. They guys name is Chris but asked me to deposite the money to an account owned by T Cele. He said he is from Northe Cape. I now want my money back n this but star behind bars. I kept every conversation I had with him including the slips and those of the guy who claims to be his driver. Now I need a way to get my money back and these two idiots behind bars for fraud. Any Idea on how I can achieve that? Please assist

  59. tino says:

    BEWARE of this scammer.

    I have receiced a mail today from this guy saing his name is Donald Lombard .

    Hello,
    Thanks for the mail and interest you have
    towards my 2012
    Volkswagen Golf i have for sale at the cost of
    R50,000
    The car is still in good condition as it has never been hit or involve in
    any crash. Below are the full details of the Vehicle in question. Mark……………………Volkswagen
    Model…………………..Golf
    Year……………………..2012
    Body Type……………..Hatchback
    Mileage…………………57711 km
    Transmission………….Automatic You must get back to me with answers of the below
    questions: Where are you located ?
    How soon are you willing for us to deal? Waiting for your quick reply
    Thanks

  60. tino says:

    Sorry i made an error

    BEWARE OF THIS SCAMMER ; i received a mail from him today ; his name is Donald Lombard

    Greetings, Thanks for your interest in my car. The car is still
    available and in
    excellent condition. I’m from France. I lived and
    worked in South
    Africa for one year as Medical assistant for the Red
    Cross International but presently; I’m in republic of Togo
    for a new job.
    I bought the car in Johannesburg, South Africa, the
    car is still
    registered in South Africa. The given price R58,000
    is a Give away price because since i brought the car here i can’t
    use it due to the
    fact that the constitution here does not allow the
    Right Hand Drive
    cars. I’m not sure of coming back to South Africa
    and the car will be useless if i couldn’t get somebody who can ship the
    car back to South
    Africa and take good care of it.
    If you are interested, I can find a transport
    company here to
    transport the car back to South Africa for you. The transport cost
    will be deducted from the R58,000(price on the
    ad). The Details of the car are as below: Model Year: 2012
    Previous Owners:1
    Type: Pick-up
    Make: Toyota
    Model: Hilux
    Transmission: Manual Primary fuel Type: Diesel
    Colour: Blue
    Engine size: 3,000
    Axles: 2
    Mileage: 25,832 Km
    Interior/Comfort Options: Air Conditioning, Climate Control, Cruise Control,
    Power-assisted Steering
    (PAS), Power Windows
    Safety Features: 4-Wheel Drive, ABS, Alarm, Disc
    Brakes, Driver Airbag,
    Electr. Stability Program, Immobiliser, Side Airbags Exterior
    In-Car Entertainment Options:
    AM/FM Stereo, CD Player I await your response. Regards, Mr.Lombard

  61. Kevin says:

    John and Ronald Page stating to be from Rent to own SA scammed me of 25000 deposit, needless to say, all their phones are off since the payment. I have reported this to the SAPD

  62. keneilwe says:

    Hi on Tuesday there was private seller on Auto dealer selling IX35 Hynduai 2014 for R57 000.00, and then I sent him a request. guess what is respond was at around 01H25 PM!

    Hello,

    Sorry for the delayed response but we are in United Kingdom right now and we have been very busy and we cannot use it anymore. We shoot a documentary in South Africa for National Geographic and in two weeks the documentary will be ready. Here is a little part:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27jidcQXs7s

    The rest will be on TV in two weeks. Anyway, thank you for your interest in buying the car. The car is registered in South Africa on Alicia’s name. We are selling this car at a very cheap price because we moved in UK with our work and we cannot use it anymore, have a contract here and we will return in SA only after 2 years. The car is like new, in perfect conditions, accident free, no scratches, no special marks, no need for additional repairs, always garaged. You can see from the pictures. If you decide to buy the car we will bring it at your home anywhere in SA. We will wait for your email if you are interested and have the funds ready.

    For more pictures or info to purchase the car please give us a reply, call or Whatsapp with your email address. For this price we have a lot of buyers interested on it so a reply to this email will be fine.

    Thank you & regards,
    For National Geographic Channel
    David and Alicia
    Image and Video collection
    natgeod12@gmail.com

    (Home)
    natgeod12@photographer.net

    (

    Work)
    +447404035036 (Cell)
    +447404035036 (WhatsApp)
    natgeod12 (Skype)
    natgeod12 (Instagram)
    Nat Geo D.A. (Google+ Profile)

    And at around 04H26 PM he said
    Hi again,

    This is my number: +447404035036, you can call me or Whatsapp anytime (David).
    I’m sorry you cannot see the car because we are not in the country and for this reason we must use eBay in order to be safe (my wife is a Power Seller on eBay so we can use their services). We want to use eBay because we are in a country like South Africa and we both know that we can find very bad people here. Sorry to say it because we love this country, but yes, South Africa is not what it used to be. All we need from you is your full name and address so we can register you as potential buyer on eBay.

    Complete name (will be on the title):
    Complete address (street, city, where to be delivered):
    Phone number:

    After we will have all this details we will forward them to eBay and we will proceed the order. eBay will contact you with all the details that you need to complete this deal and also to see that we are covered by them and that Alicia is a Power Seller. Good to know that the car will be delivered to your home address only after the payment is completed. Delivery time will be 2 days. Of course comes with insurance covered by us until you take the ownership, RWC, keys, logbooks, clear title, full service plan and all the papers signed so you can easy transfer the car on your name. All the charges will be paid by us. We don’t have a outstanding amount on the car at a bank or financial agency as we paid cash for it. Also a 10 days refund policy will be included so if you will not like the car you will receive your money back. We have two more persons interested in buying the car and ready to pay for it so please send us your full name and address for delivery if you are ready to buy.

    Note: We want a safe and fair deal so this is the reason we will use eBay. We will have access to your funds only after the car is delivered and you decided to keep the car. Please reply with your details only if you are 100% interested, ready to pay and have the funds available.

    Thank you & regards,
    For National Geographic Channel
    David and Alicia
    Image and Video collection

    natgeod12@gmail.com

    (Home)
    natgeod12@photographer.net

    (

    Work)
    +447404035036 (Cell)
    +447404035036 (WhatsApp)
    natgeod12 (Skype)
    natgeod12 (Instagram)
    Nat Geo D.A. (Google+ Profile)

    He then started sending whatsapp messages saying if I don’t trust this transaction I can contact the eBay team aw-confirm@e-bay.co.za and I promised him to do that the following day. Then he said he hopes that the payment will be sorted out the next morning after contacting eBay. Today I told him that I cant pay for something that I cannot get immediately and its better if its give and t take. He said his name is David. Thanks God I did not pay any cent to him. Please beware of this scams.

    • Hi Keneilwe, thanks for reporting this to us. Definitely a scam. Just a tip: If a car or any item is priced way under what you would normally expect to pay for it, then it is most likely a scam. Thanks.

  63. Xolly Ngwenya says:

    Pls check for me if I’ve been a victim of fraud or scam in the process of buying a car.

  64. Mbulelo says:

    I would like to know if the UsedCarSouthAfrica.com site is legit or not? because their cars’ prices are too good to be true.

    • Jani Grey says:

      Hi Mbulelo,

      Unfortunately we cannot comment on the validity of this website and the vehicles it sells. We’d like to suggest that you google reviews of this website to see what other buyers have to say.

      Alternatively, feel free to head on over to http://www.automart.co.za for thousands of great vehicles for sale.

      Kind regards,
      The Junk Mail Team

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