In a statement issued today, SAPS says the Rietgat police, in collaboration with Honeydew and Cosmo City police members, arrested seven suspects who are alleged to be online scammers, following a tip-off by a community member. The arrests took place in the early hours of yesterday, at different addresses. According to SAPS, the suspects were found in possession of a police uniform, four firearms (of which two were fake), live rounds of ammunition and nine cellphones.

According to reports, the suspects terrorised unsuspecting people who were looking for vehicles and goods on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, respectively. They would allegedly put pictures of vehicles on social media for sale and lure potential buyers to an isolated location, where they would pounce on them in numbers and take their belongings and the money meant to buy these “vehicles”. SAPS adds that a preliminary investigation indicated that in all the cases opened around Rietgat and Loate policing precinct, the suspects were armed and demanded belongings, as well as money from the victims. All arrested suspects are expected to appear before Soshanguve Magistrate Court in due course.

According to online marketplace Gumtree, there are always people looking to prey on unsuspecting victims and who go to great lengths to make sure their ruse is as believable as possible. “It only takes a brief lapse in concentration for the scammer on the other end to get all of your personal information either via calling, sending e-mails, or text messages that appear to come from reputable sources such as banks or legitimate businesses,” says Gumtree. In some cases, it adds, people only realise what is happening when it’s already too late and this can cause major problems – especially where finances are concerned.

It explains that while many scams are easy to spot due to spelling errors or a Gmail address, there are some that are extremely sophisticated and convincing. “Scammers will go as far as to create fake online profiles and a believable digital footprint to fool unsuspecting victims. There are many scams going around and includes everything from service delivery, to farming and holiday rental – basically anywhere money is concerned.”