Cape Town - A woman from Grassy Park is facing multiple allegations of car scamming after several people came forward claiming she tricked them into buying cars belonging to rental car companies.
The woman, whose name is known to the Weekend Argus but cannot be mentioned due to the ongoing investigation, is accused of hiring cars from rental companies and selling them to unsuspecting buyers at discounted prices.
In several cases, victims were left with no vehicles and lost large sums of money after the cars were taken back or declared write-offs.
One of the victims, who spoke to Weekend Argus, described how she purchased a Toyota Etios Sprint for nearly R30 000 from the woman, agreeing to pay R3 000 a month.
After driving the car for about a month, the seller claimed the vehicle needed servicing.
The car was sent away, only for the woman to later declare the car a writeoff due to what she called “sensor issues” and other extensive damage. “I trusted her,” the victim said. “I knew her personally, and I never thought she would do something like this. Now, I’ve lost my money and still don’t have a car.”
Police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana confirmed several theft and fraud cases have been opened against the woman.
One of the cases involves a complainant who purchased a car from the woman, only to be contacted later by a car rental company saying they would be retrieving the same vehicle.
Another case described a similar situation in which the seller took a car in for servicing and never returned it.
“In a fraud case, a buyer reported that after purchasing a car and waiting for the promised paperwork, someone else came forward and claimed ownership of the vehicle.”
While the investigation continues no arrests has been made. In her defence, the woman accused of the scam claimed that she herself was a victim. She said she had been working as a sales agent for a car rental company and believed the vehicles she was selling were part of a legitimate rent-to-own programme.
According to her, the cars had been rented out under false pretences, and she had been using her own name in the transactions, unaware that the cars weren’t meant to be sold.
“I had no idea that the cars were never meant to be sold,” the woman said. “I was working with a company where the cars were rented, and the owner sent me to collect vehicles.
“I only realised recently when I went to visit the place that they are no longer there and when my calls weren’t returned that I could also be a victim of a scam.
“By the time I stopped working for the company the damage was already done.”
Two car rental business owners, who had worked with the woman, also shared their experiences.
Both businesses had rented cars to the woman over several months, but the owners said they were unaware that the vehicles were being sold.
One owner said the woman initially rented vehicles for short periods and paid on time, but eventually, payments started falling behind.
Another owner said when the woman failed to make payment they also tracked the cars and found it in the possession of other people who claimed they had bought the cars from the suspect.
“She also explained to me that she was a victim of a scam, so we will now have to wait and see.”