Car dealers warned of scam using government logos

The Hawks have warned car and truck dealerships to be extra vigilant when tendering for contracts purported to be from government departments.

The police unit said there had been a spate of fraudulent tenders targeting car and truck dealerships in Cape Town‚ Pretoria‚ Bloemfontein‚ Kimberley and Pietermaritzburg.

Hawks Western Cape spokesman Capt Philani Nkwalase said the fraudsters allegedly used the logos of government departments and emails purporting to originate from the said state departments to order high-performing cars or specialised contractor vehicles in big numbers.

He said upon delivery of these vehicles‚ randomly hired drivers delivered these to secluded destinations or depots.

“This is due to the fact that unsuspecting car dealerships often release these vehicles without payment‚ as they are under the impression that these are state tender and payment processes will follow.”

Nkwalase said investigations on these cases have led to a few arrests and recoveries‚ while others remain at large. He said as a preventative measure‚ dealerships should visit the physical address provided to ensure that people were authentic.

In an unrelated matter‚ Nkwalase said two people were arrested last week for allegedly submitting fraudulent documents that had aided them to obtain vehicle finance with fictitious documents last year.

He said a 47-year-old woman appeared in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court‚ and Abdul Karriem Janodien‚ 54‚ appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.

A Mercedes Benz and an Audi were recovered from the woman‚ worth a total cost of R1‚628‚000‚ while a Mercedes Benz and a BMW were recovered from the male suspect‚ worth a total of R1‚783‚277.

The case against the woman was postponed to October 29 for a bail application‚ while the other suspect was released on R10‚000 bail and the case postponed to January 25 2019 for further investigation.