An unsuspecting lecturer at Molepolole College of Education (MCE) was left counting his losses after giving away over P58, 000 trying to purchase a car that was advertised on Facebook.
The 44-year-old lecture allegedly saw an advert of reclaimed cars by a South African Bank advertised on June 5th, 2023 and showed interest to buy a Toyota Corolla from a certain Route 21 Auto company in South Africa.
Later after two days on June 7th, 2023 the said company forwarded him an invoice and he paid the cash online and was issued with a South African Police clearance certificate.
Excited at the prospect of driving home his set of wheels, the lecturer eagerly waited for hours at the Tlokweng border post on Monday (June 12th, 2023) but the car never arrived.
He tried calling the company and when he did not get any response he realized he had been duped and he reported the matter to the police.
Molepolole police Station Commander, Superintendent Benedict Matlho, confirmed that they received the report on Tuesday and that they engaged Interpol to help pursue the matter.
“After the man saw an advertised car on Facebook, he communicated with the sellers and they gave him a bank account. He then deposited the money and later the sellers disappeared. You cannot trust someone you can’t see. There are cars sold locally that people can buy without any risk of getting swindled. One can only try to purchase abroad if there is always someone they know and trust can assist,” advised the concerned Supt. Matlho, further noting that such cases are common and that people should be diligent when making purchases.
