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WASPA warns of new SMS fraud

12 Oct 2010

A new fraud, targeting people selling second-hand goods in newspaper classifieds and online services such as Gumtree, is in operation. According to the Wireless Application Service Providers' Association of South Africa (WASPA), the purported buyers use commercial SMS messaging services to send sellers fraudulent confirmations of bank deposits so that they can obtain the seller's goods.

On receipt of an apparently legitimate confirmation that they have deposited the money, they then insist on taking the goods from the seller, who soon discovers that no deposit has been made to his or her bank account. The fraudsters currently operate mostly on the weekends and in the evenings.

All to easy to fake a 'bank-generated' SMS

Said WASPA management committee member Casper de Villiers, "Unfortunately, it is all too easy for scammers to create and send an SMS that is a convincing replica of the one that your bank might send when someone makes a deposit in your account.

"We recommend not releasing the goods you are selling until you see the deposit reflected in your bank account when you look at your statements online or use cellphone banking."

De Villiers said that people selling goods to strangers always need to be cautious in their dealings and ensure that the buyer has lived up to his promise of payment before parting with the goods.

He added that WASPA and its members are taking a proactive approach to fighting this sort of abuse of commercial SMS messaging platforms. The organisation urges any member of the public who has fallen prey to such a swindle to report the matter immediately at the nearest police station where they will be able to open a case.