There is a growing warning for residents to be wary when advertising privately owned items on social media platforms and also when responding to adverts of goods being sold by unknown persons or so-called businesses on social media platforms.
One of the warnings when dealing with unknown persons on social media platforms, is not to make any advance payments and not to meet any of the ‘buyers’ or ‘sellers’ at an isolated place, but rather to meet at a filling station, a shopping complex or even at a police station, accompanied by someone (never alone), as more and more of the so called advertisers and customers use fake names and information on their posts. This is the hard lesson a local resident of Grey Street, Laudium learnt, when responding to the advert of a car for sale, on one of the Facebook ‘Marketplace’ pages.
Roshani Dorasamy, together with her boyfriend ‘Nivashen Pillay’ were robbed by a gang of about 12 armed thugs in Donsell, Soshanguve, this past Saturday afternoon (June 20) at around 4pm. The pair who travelled in a Ford Fiesta, had firearms pointed at them, before being assaulted by the thugs who then robbed them of their belongings. The pair had gone to the area, with the hope of buying a VW Polo that was advertised on Facebook for a bargain price of R45,000, by an unkown person going under the name of ‘Lungstarr Maseko.’ Roshani told the Laudium Sun, that she is just glad that she and her boyfriend managed to come out alive and wanted to share her traumatic experience so that others can be warned. Roshani added, “I’m still in shock after my boyfriend and I were victims of a planned armed robbery in Soshanguve. I’m literally still in shock as we speak. This is the worst experience of my life and the trauma my boyfriend and I went through… I wouldn’t wish it on even my worst enemy. I don’t think I will ever forget what happened to us. It started when I came across an advertisement on a Facebook Marketplace page for a grey VW Polo that was being sold for R45,000. I was interested in buying the car, so I contacted the person. We exchanged numbers and spoke for about a week. The Black African person introduced himself as ‘Lungstarr Maseko’ and said he was from Soshanguve. At first, I was very hesitant because the area was far and unfamiliar to me. But he kept insisting that I come and view the car. He told me that his wife and child would be at home, which made me feel a bit safer. He also said the area didn’t have proper street names and sent me a location pin, saying it was called ‘Donsell’ in Soshanguve. On the day of the incident, I decided to take my boyfriend along which made me feel more comfortable, as I certainly did not want to go to an unknown place all alone. We did not take a lot of cash with us because we know it is dangerous, so we only had R800, our bank cards and our two Samsung S24 phones. While we were on the way, I informed ‘Lungstarr’ that we were about 30 minutes away. When we got closer, he told us to wait at Buitenkant Street and said his younger brother would come and fetch us. We waited there for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then a Black man came to us and asked if we were there to see the car. We said yes, and he told us to follow him. We drove behind him into sandy roads and a very quiet, isolated area. There were no people around and I started feeling very uncomfortable. We stopped at a house with a red gate. As soon as we stopped, everything changed. A Black guy came up to us and suddenly he pulled out a gun and tried to take our car keys. Within seconds, many more black guys came out from the bushes and I don’t know from where else surrounding us. There were about 10 to 12 of them. They pointed guns at us, pulled us out from our car and started beating my boyfriend. They kept demanding money because they thought we brought the full cash amount to buy the car. My boyfriend was attacked by many of them at the same time. I tried to protect him, but they then started assaulting me as well. It was terrifying. At one point, they even fired shots into the air. I honestly thought we were going to die there. The armed gang stole our two phones, our bank cards and the R800 we had. One of them also took our car key, damaged it, and threw it into the bushes. In that moment of fear and chaos, we somehow managed to break free and run towards nearby houses. Some local residents were helpful and told us not to go back immediately to our car because it was not safe. Later, with the help of the community, we managed to recover part of the broken key and my boyfriend’s driver’s licence. Luckily, our car was still there and my
boyfriend, despite being injured managed to start it using the broken key piece. We immediately drove away and came home. I lost my phones, money, and bank cards. I immediately blocked all my banking accounts after the incident. This was clearly a planned setup and I want to warn the community to please be very careful. I don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through. Please do not trust everything you see for sale on Facebook, especially if the sellers are unknown and when you are asked to go to unknown or isolated places. This was a horrible and frightening experience and I hope that sharing my story will help others stay safe. A case has been opened and police investigations are ongoing.”
view the vehicle in Soshanguve, where she and her boyfriend were attacked and robbed.
Mubeen Hassan, also of Grey Street, told the Laudium Sun, “Facebook Marketplace is open to anyone and there are no security checks to see who is advertising. That is why it is extremely important to take all the necessary precautions when dealing with anyone on Facebook, because people could give wrong names and other info, even pretending to be females or professionals. I want to warn the public that these criminals are becoming more organised and are very clever in how they target people. What may look like a simple car deal can quickly turn into a life-threatening situation. People are being lured with low attractive prices, especially for popular vehicles like VW Polo models. The scammers communicate politely, gain trust over a few days and then convince buyers to travel to unfamiliar areas. Once the victim arrives, the situation changes completely. These incidents are not just about losing money any more. Victims are being attacked, robbed, and traumatised and at times even killed. Armed groups of thugs are involved and they operate in isolated locations where there is little to no immediate help. This shows that these are planned setups and not random crimes. The community must understand that meeting strangers in unknown places is extremely risky. Even if the person sounds genuine, there is no guarantee of safety. Criminals are using fake identities and false information to trap victims. I strongly urge residents to avoid going alone to view items advertised online. Always meet in public places and verify the seller properly. If something feels suspicious, it is better to walk away than take the risk. These scams are getting worse and awareness is the only way we can protect ourselves. We need to educate our families and neighbours about the dangers of dealing with strangers on Facebook and similar platforms. No deal is worth risking your life for. Please stay alert, stay cautious, and report any suspicious activity to the authorities immediately.”
Mishaan Moodley of Bengal Street, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “Online scams via social media platforms are becoming more serious and dangerous for the community. These criminals are no longer just tricking people out of money. They are now targeting victims physically and placing lives in danger. Many individuals are being drawn in by low prices on vehicles and other goods, without realising the risks involved. Scammers create convincing profiles, communicate regularly and build trust before arranging meetings in unfamiliar or isolated areas. Once victims arrive, they are often confronted by group of thugs and forced into dangerous situations. It is not safe to assume that a deal found online is genuine, even if the communication seems professional.”
