CREDITS
By Hollard
We’d like to share with you the following important information about industry-wide motor theft scams to pass on to your Claims customers:
1. Vehicle recall scam
Well-organised crime syndicates continue to target customers who are the owners of expensive luxury cars of all major brands, approaching them through fake email notifications, text messages and telephone calls and purporting to be vehicle manufacturers or dealers.
The modus operandi is to inform the owner that their vehicle needs critical safety-recall work done and that it will be collected by a company representative. Customers should be warned that any such approach would be an attempt to defraud them by persuading them to hand over their vehicle to criminals.
On receiving such notification, car owners should immediately contact their dealership to check if the repair request is legitimate and, if not, to report the incident so action can be taken.
2. Fraudsters posing as police officers
As if being the target of car theft or a hijacking is not bad enough, Hollard customers who fall victim to these crimes are frequently targeted by criminals pretending to be police officers, telling them their vehicles have been recovered in another province or near the border.
These fake police officers then ask for an amount of less than R5 000 for the vehicle to be “towed”, requesting that the payment is made via e-wallet or direct deposit at well-known supermarkets.
Customers should not make any such payments unless they have verified the details and amounts directly with you or our Claims team. Again, it’s important that they report any suspicious activity to you or directly to us.
3. Freeway blue-light gang
The third scam also relates to syndicates posing as police – this time, driving unmarked vehicles and attempting to pull over motorists with the aim of hijacking their vehicles.
Please warn your customers to be vigilant on the road. If they feel at risk, the best course of action would be to drive straight to the nearest police station.
In conclusion, please advise our combined customers to only deal with you or us when claiming and to always be alert to the possibility of fraud, immediately reporting any suspicious approaches or activity.
Remember, we speak your language and We Are Where You and our customers Are – whether it’s on the road, at home or in the workplace.
