Zimbabweans duped of more than US$400 000 by bogus car dealers on the net

HUNDREDS of Zimbabweans buying second hand vehicles from Japan through the internet have been duped of more than US$400 000 by bogus traders that disappear as soon as money is wired to them.

Documented evidence shows that most of the botched deals took place between May 2010 and November 2011 with sources saying much more could have been lost through these syndicates.

A report prepared by officials from Zimbabwe's embassy in Japan revealed that most Zimbabweans fall victim to the dealers who offer sale and delivery conditions.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha last Wednesday confirmed that some Japanese car traders were duping Zimbabweans.
He, however, could not ascertain the number of people affected.

"A lot of people have come to us complaining that that they have lost their money to these fraudsters. I urge people to be very careful when they want to import cars from overseas because there are a lot of conmen," he said.

Government had already referred some of the victims to Zimbabwe's embassy in Tokyo for assistance.

According to a report by the Zimbabwean embassy officials in Japan, most of the car deals offered on the internet were cheaper thus attracting more people.
However, after making payments, the vehicles would not be delivered and the dealers would change their contact details and offer the same vehicles to lure new customers.

In some cases, it is claimed that the suppliers cite shortage of space in the shipping vessels as the major reason for delays in delivering the vehicles.
"In most cases, the purchased vehicles were not delivered even after full payment of the purchase price and the attendant shipment costs," reads part of the report on the scam.

"Meanwhile, the embassy has not been successful in trying to follow up on the cases in an attempt to either get the purchased vehicles delivered or alternatively ensure that the buyers are reimbursed," says the report.

In other cases vehicles delivered did not match the conditions stated on sale and buyers suffered heavy losses as a result.

The report further states that efforts to engage Japanese authorities were fruitless as they insisted that the complainants should be personally in Japan for police to take action.

The other option was for the complainants to lodge their cases with Interpol in their respective countries after which arrangement would be made to liaise with the Japanese police.

Car dealers who spoke to the Herald warned people against buying vehicles over the internet as they risked losing their money.

One of the directors at a car sale in Harare known as Wheeler Dealers, Mr Emmanuel Kawenya, said the problem of bogus car companies was difficult to deal with.
He said people should verify the authenticity of companies they were dealing with before making any payments.

"When you want to import a car, normally you have to identify the type of the car that you want on the internet and you start to communicate with the supplier.

"After that you have to obtain a profoma invoice and then you transfer the money into the account of the supplier. A genuine supplier will then communicate with you until the car arrives in Durban or any of the seaports one would have chosen," he said.

Mr Kahwenya said it was more reliable for people to buy ex-Japanese cars from Durban than doing so via the internet.

"If you decide to import a car, it means you have prepared yourself to take the risk.

"The car may not come or it may be damaged during transportation," he said.

Another car dealer at Boss Motors in Harare who refused to be named said it was wiser to engage local dealers when importing cars.