RESIDENTS are being warned to be wary of fraudulent people posing as legitimate businesses in order to extort money from prospective clients.
Alberton RECORD received a complaint regarding a building company which distributed its information via flyers. The contractor assessed the work that needed to be done and in total estimated an amount of about R30 000 that the process would cost.
He requested that an amount of R10 000 be paid upfront as to pay the labourers that he would employ. Further, he asked that supplies be bought from a hardware store totaling almost another R10 000. Upon receiving the supplies from the hardware store, the contractor requested the slip of the sales and returned the supplies to the hardware for a voucher that he then used to buy things for himself which included a compressor that was not needed for the job at all.
The contractor promptly vanished afterwards leaving the client to deal with the workers he had hired, as he had not paid them. All contact numbers for the contractor stopped working from that point on and the business location the contractor claimed to work from was proven to be a false address.
This all has left the client with the work that was supposed to be done left incomplete and with no way to recuperate the money that was given to this fraudulent person.
What you can do to protect yourself
When dealing with a prospective business it is important to make sure you can trust the person you are dealing with. When receiving details about a business do some research into them so as to confirm that they are who they say they are and that they are legitimate. This can be as simple as searching for the business on Google and seeing whether they have a website or Facebook page.
On sources such as these you can confirm their credentials and ensure that the person you will deal with is who they say they are. Where possible try to find out from people that have used the service in the past whether their work can be trusted.
When dealing with the procurement of supplies always make sure that you know where your money is going. In the case of returns that have to be made, please be aware that all that is needed is the slip to confirm that the transaction happened.
Make sure that all transactions are documented and keep these documents safe. The documents provide a paper trail which provides you with proof in case of any foul play by the other party.
Always remember that your money is yours and you are within your rights to know exactly what is being done with it.
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