Namibian Police Force spokesperson for the Oshikoto Region, Inspector Ellen Nehale has urged the public to stay vigilant and guard against scammers.
The warning comes after a case of theft under false pretences was opened by the police in Tsumeb, where an ex-employee of Telecom Namibia allegedly told his victim that the company was auctioning vehicles which employees can buy at affordable prices.
Nehale said the victim allegedly paid money into the suspect’s bank account to buy him a pick-up at thr purported staff price.
‘The victim deposited N.dollars 148 000 into the suspect’s account to buy the pick-up, which was supposed to be handed over to the victim on 04 September 2023 in Tsumeb,’ she said.
Nehale said the suspect started using the money on his own expenses.
When the police investigated the matter they found that the suspect had used N.dollars 11 000. The remaining money is still in the account as it was frozen.
Nehale advised the public to avoid business transactions that seem dubious.
‘The public is discouraged from buying cars or any other items before physically seeing them or verifying the proof of payment,’ she added.
Further, Nehale said people should not pay money into bank accounts before ensuring if the business is legit and should avoid doing business with people through social media.
She encouraged members of the public to report any suspicious activity relating to scams to the nearest police station.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency