{"id":832838,"date":"2025-07-28T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=832838"},"modified":"2025-07-28T08:08:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:08:45","slug":"beware-this-car-scam-making-a-comeback-in-south-africa-on-tiktok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/technology\/832838\/beware-this-car-scam-making-a-comeback-in-south-africa-on-tiktok\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware this car scam making a comeback in South Africa on TikTok\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>WesBank has warned car buyers in South Africa about the resurgence of online auction scams, especially on platforms like TikTok.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fraudsters are preying on unsuspecting buyers looking for a quick bargain in the automotive retail space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These sophisticated scammers are creating fake accounts that use WesBank\u2019s branding, making it seem like official representatives are selling bank auction vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They try to lure unsuspecting buyers in with &#8220;irresistible deals&#8221;, which pressure them to pay over large sums of money to \u201csecure\u201d what appears to be an auction-listed vehicle.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a payment is made, scammers quickly close their fake accounts and vanish with the money, leaving victims with no recourse.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Always ensure that you are dealing with a registered auction house, and in the case of a bank auction, an official bank representative,\u201d said Lebo Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo not be enticed into accepting unofficial offers. It is often a ploy to defraud those looking for a good deal. Trust your instincts and proceed with caution. It&#8217;s better to err on the side of caution than to fall victim to a fraud scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FirstRand-owned company said that staying alert to red flags is crucial to protecting yourself. These are common red flags:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sellers requesting payment outside of the official auction platform.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reluctance to provide additional information or photos of the vehicle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vague or inconsistent product descriptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe urge participants to report any suspicious activity promptly to the auction platform to prevent others from falling prey to scams and contribute to a safer online marketplace,\u201d said Gaoaketse.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy taking note of these guidelines and exercising caution, buyers can confidently navigate vehicle auctions, maximising their chances of securing a quality vehicle at a reasonable price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WesBank has also given customers the following tips to help safeguard against online auction scammers:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Registration and deposits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WesBank said that registration is mandatory to participate in a legitimate auction. A refundable deposit is typically made by the bidder upon registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A WesBank auction would never ask for a deposit to secure a specific car before the auction. \u201cIf you&#8217;re asked for such a deposit, it&#8217;s a major red flag.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Know the terms and conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It added that one should familiarise oneself with auction sales&#8217; general terms and conditions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This includes understanding payment procedures, buyers&#8217; responsibilities and refund policies. \u201cKnowing these guidelines will help you more easily identify and avoid scams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Too good to be true&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>South Africans should remain vigilant of potential scams, particularly from online platforms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They should always deal with a reputable auction house and an authorised representative. As the old saying goes, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wesbank has warned customers about a new scam making the rounds on social media, especially TikTok. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":700471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9878],"tags":[14646,6619],"class_list":["post-832838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-tiktok","tag-wesbank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832838"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":833146,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832838\/revisions\/833146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}