Be cautious when meeting people interested in goods advertised online, warns WC SAPS

Western Cape police have cautioned individuals using online platforms, such as Facebook Marketplace, to meet in areas that are familiar to them.

PICTURE: Pixabay

Bush Radio News previously reported that a man was lured to Browns Farm in October 2022, under the pretext of delivering advertised goods through Facebook Marketplace, when he was robbed by four suspects.

In a separate incident, also in October 2022, policearrested six high school learners following an attempted robbery of a man, who delivered a system, ordered on Facebook Marketplace, in Brown’s Farm.

The police’s Andrè Traut said officials are concerned about the number of cases reported where people who have used online platforms to advertise their goods fall victim to robberies or more serious crime after being lured by criminals acting as buyers to make a delivery in certain areas.

‘’Our analysis of crime trends had initially pointed us to Browns Farm in Nyanga where this modus operandi has been prevalent with a number of serious cases and a murder being recorded since last year, but we reason to believe that other areas such as the West Coast and the Winelands are also affected,’’ said Colonel Andrè Traut.

‘’It is on this basis that we felt the need to caution the public in general that it is not safe to venture into an unfamiliar area to make a delivery, or meet a potential buyer of an item which had been advertised on an online platform such as Facebook’s Marketplace,’’ he added.

Traut advised citizens to arrange a meeting with a potential buyer at a public place at a time when people are around or even in front of a police station.

‘’If the caller has an ulterior motive, he or she will in all probability make an alternative suggestion, which should raise a red flag,’’ said Colonel Andrè Traut.

‘’With this warning SAPS by no means discourage people to make use of online advertising platforms, but to exercise caution when doing so, to prevent becoming a criminal’s next victim,’’ he added.

 

Done By: Mitchum George