Police warn of violent online scams after Joburg family hijacked

JOHANNESBURG - A Johannesburg woman and her family thought they were meeting a seller to buy car wheels advertised online.

But instead, they drove straight into a trap.

They were hijacked, assaulted, and robbed after responding to a Facebook Marketplace post.

It’s part of a growing trend of online scams that are turning violent, and police are warning online buyers to be vigilant.

READ: Threat of AI in creating greater cyber risk

Gauteng Police are dealing with 166 reported cases of this nature this year and a task team was formed to deal with them. 

Cybercrime experts say scammers are getting smarter than you, often cloning legitimate accounts or using social engineering tactics to gain trust.

  • eNCA’s Nabeelah Shaikh reports.

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