Tracker and Netstar have issued an alert about a car scam syndicate happening in South Africa. They have confirmed that their customers are being targeted in a new scam involving thieves posing as technicians.
Police Minister, Bheki Cele said carjacking and truck hijacking have recorded an increase of 13,3% and 1,7% respectively during the lockdown.
SCAM: THIEVES POSE AS TECHNICIANS
Tracker said, “They advise the customer that there is something wrong with their tracking device and that they need to come out to repair or replace the device. Once on site, the perpetrators will claim that they need to test the device by taking the car for a test drive or they will say that they can’t finalise the repairs on site and need to take the vehicle back to the fitment centre.”
The company said that a Tracker technician will never need to nor should they ask to test drive your vehicle and thieves are mainly targeting customers in Gauteng.
INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING
Charles Morgan, operations executive at Netstar said, “We are conducting an inquiry to ensure customer information remains protected and to help apprehend suspects so that justice is served. We have alerted customers of the situation, warning them to be vigilant as several attempts have been thwarted by alert customers.”
SCAM SAFETY PRECAUTION MEASURES
- Always ask a caller who claims to be from a tracking company to ask the set of security verification questions.
- If they are unable to do so, advise them that you will need to contact someone at the tracking company to verify their claim.
- Always check the email address the request came from. If a request comes via email, the email address should be from the company’s email address.
- Confirm the validity of an appointment by contacting your tracking company’s call centre.
- Be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to the police at all times.
Read the original article on The South African
