The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They want my ID!

I am kindly contacting you seeking help concerning emails that I have been receiving from someone, who claims that they are oversees and are willing to help me claim inheritance of a family relative in the USA. They want me to send a scanned copy of my identity card.

I think you probably know already that this is a scam, don’t you? I hope you do.

We’ve perhaps all heard stories of long-lost relatives dying and leaving their fortunes to their distant family members, family members who have never actually heard of them. But they’re just stories, the sort of thing we see in movies and read in romantic novels. They don’t happen in real life.

This is the beginning of an advance fee scam, there’s no doubt about it, I’ve seen many just like before. While the first contact says that you will benefit from your fake relative’s fake inheritance sooner or later they’ll demand money from you in order to get this fake money. Sometimes they’ll tell you that it’s attorney’s fees, other times a tax or duty to pay, sometimes an account opening fee. I predict it would have been P3-5,000, it’s always about that amount. Once you pay that, they keep inventing more and more payments you need to make until you get your inheritance. An inheritance, you should remember, that doesn’t exist.

They’ll continue to demand money from you until either you realise you’re being scammed or until you have no money left. Unfortunately, I’ve heard from too many people who given these scammers almost everything they’ve got. I really hope you won’t be another case like this.

The best thing you can do is delete all the emails you’ve received from these scammers and any further emails they send you. If you feel like being adventurous you can send them an incredibly rude email telling them what you think of them. Remember that scammers don’t deserve courtesy!

Where’s my furniture?

Last year I saw an advert for furniture on Facebook and I paid P600 for laybye of a double bed, head board and 2 sides, then on the 23 February I communicated with her that I will be coming to their offices to pay the balance and collect the furniture.

I hired transport to collect the furniture, when I got there I asked the guard even workers did not knew the name of the company I tried calling the lady but her phone was not going through. I tried the other number on the receipt but the guy said he works for the company but at Tswapong so he is not familiar with the one at Gaborone. I went back without the furniture that day. Thats when the lady communicated saying her phone battery died. I told her to bring my deposit or deliver the furniture at Lobatse because that is where I was taking the furniture to for free as their way of compensating me.

She agreed and she said their trucks will be leaving to South Africa they will pass bye to drop my furniture. I sent the balance P1356 and she even gave me the number for the driver to confirm if they are coming. Unfortunately that never happened. She started telling stories and I told her they should sort it out at their company.

During the week she called to say she managed to get a truck to deliver my furniture. I went to Lobatse to await it but again she disappointed me. The following day I went again to where she had directed me, she was not there. The guys at the warehouse said she doesn't have a supervisor to report her to is her own boss. Up to date she has not called so I’m kindly asking for your help.

The lady is telling that the only way I'll get the furniture is to pay P200 more on top of all the expenses I incurred for other wise I’m still going to wait. I asked her to send back my money she is refusing.

I contacted the company and their first response was “Yes she bought furniture from us. When we open after lockdown her things will be delivered” but then they changed their mind and became argumentative, suggesting that it was your fault that the furniture wasn’t delivered. So yes, I agree that it’s time for a refund. I suggest that you tell them that Sections 7(6) and 27(1) of the Consumer Protection Act both say very clearly that you are entitled to cancel the deal and get your money back. If they don’t agree to that and repay you then we need to escalate the issue further. We won’t give up!