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Remember this name: Capetown- Athletic! We have always been advised: never say never.
But I sang the opposite tune because I thought certain things would never happen to me. Well, until recently that is, when I fell for the scammers. I never imagined this ever happening to me.
But here I am today, a victim of online fraud. On 18 January, I found a nice pair of tekkies on Facebook and reluctantly decided to go for them.
I ignored all the red flags that people have been waving about online purchases. Before I could place an order, I did my due diligence by checking the comments about this particular online shop.
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They were convincing with three customers confirming that they had received their orders within five days. Since I had doubts, I opted to use my virtual card. I only loaded the required amount on the card. A virtual card is an isolated banking card on your online profile. It allows you to do secure online purchases. You deposit funds into this card so that if you are scammed or hacked it is isolated from your main account.
This comforted me that I had made the right choice. However, two weeks passed without any delivery. I got worried, so I sent them an email.
And I got a response on 15 February: "We are delighted to inform you that your much-anticipated order is currently on its way to your doorstep. Our team has carefully packed and dispatched your items, ensuring [they reach] you in perfect condition."
READ: 10 tips for staying digitally secure during the holidays
I gave them another two weeks to see if I would receive my parcel, but dololo! Nothing arrived. It has been more than two months now and my follow-up emails have not been responded to. I have now resigned myself to the fact that I was scammed.
I don’t know whether to blame my naïvety or my love of tekkies for this, but the biggest lesson from this episode is: never say never! And remember this name: Capetown-Athletic!
