YOU’VE BEEN HAD

– now what?

Report it to the police, the bank and the classifieds site. ‘We urge victims to open a case’ says Estelle Nagel, head of communications for Gumtree. ‘Once they have a case number, we assist the investigating officer. We also work with investigators who are focused on reducing online crime.’ Kalyani says that SABRIC and the banking industry are working closely with SAPS to address the issue. [Details weren’t forthcoming; we received no response from SAPS for comment.]

A few days after opening a case, Michael learned that the scammers had re-registered his car and that police had tracked it to an address. After much insistence from Frikkie, the cops circulated the car as stolen, and months later it was recovered. The new owner had no idea he’d bought a stolen vehicle.

But Joan hasn’t heard much since she opened a case of fraud and theft in 2014. ‘There’s a tendency to be cynical about [reporting] crime,’ says Estelle, ‘but arrests have been made, which is why you should press charges’.

If nothing else, your testimony may help to prevent other traders from being fleeced. If suspected scammers are still active on a site, they can be blocked from contacting others – assuming they’re interacting with sellers through the website or app. ‘It’s harder to trace someone if they’re using a platform like WhatsApp,’ Estelle says.

When Adam reported his incident, he was reminded that the site ‘holds no responsibility’. Estelle echoes this. ‘When you use the site, the terms and conditions state that you are responsible for the information you submit and any consequences that may result from your post. But we’re still working to improve the safety of the platform.’ *Names have been changed.