Well, if OP goes to SAPS I'm pretty sure then your close shave would still count as an attempt to commit fraud/theft so another potential charge on a charge sheet.
Funny thing this whole "...report him to SAPS and open a case.." and not funny hahaha, sad funny in that it shows that the law in this country is not enforced or unenforceable. Irrespective of RICA, FICA and consumer protection act and all the supposed rules to work in the laws favour, the will to use these tools just does not exist.
I have done this now twice in the last two years. June 2020 and August last year.
No it wasn't on Carbonite deals but on Scumtree, so no worries there.
To date the following happened:
August 2021 case: received a SMS about 10 days ago that stated...All leads followed up, case closed. Docket will be re-opened upon new leads.
June 20200 case : Still investigating as the plaintif lives in PE. Though about two weeks ago received a whatsapp from seller after 18 months of that account being dormant. Long sob story on how he was mugged and the GPU , phone and money stolen etc. He wants to refund me but his accounts are frozen, can I have it unlocked.
In both situations I have written the money off as school fees by now, so decide to play along , so say I would do that if he refund me first upon which of course things go south with name calling, threats both legal and biblical (God will strike me dead, cause the spirit of the Lord lives in him and bad things happen to people that f##k with him(the seller)) and I am a joke for making an issue of such a trivial amount (24K)
Now here is the thing ; in both cases SAPS did absolutely nothing but issue a case number, which I used to lock both parties accounts.
How do I know that they did nothing: 08/2020 case did not even know that there was a case against him and that is how the account got locked.
06/2021 is still working at the same place and lives at the same address, I verified.
In both instances when I opened these cases at Brooklyn Police Station, Pretoria I heard a littany of the following arguments while the docets were opened for me not to open a case:
1) ..this is a really small amount, we deal with millions of rand cases everyday (R10500 and R24000)
2)... this will cost the state too much to investigate for that amount of money
3) ... it is COVID ?????
4) ...We are understaffed, this is COVID
5) ....you have to understand, our people are suffering that is why they have to do this
I shit you not this from the duty officers at the police station while writing up the complaint.
So in spite of RICA, FICA and all data handed over being relevant to the two parties as of a week ago nothing has happened.
At least in the 06/2020 case I can now file a civil case as he acknowledged the debt on whatsapp before the thing went south again.
So by all means file a case, get a case number, lock accounts and use information to eff up said scammers life, because criminally nothing happens.
