A foreign national has been sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment in the Northern Cape after being convicted of orchestrating a sophisticated online fraud scheme that targeted unsuspecting Facebook users advertising vehicles for sale across multiple provinces.
According to evidence presented during the trial Chikwani focused his operations on individuals who had listed their vehicles on Facebook Marketplace. Posing as a genuine buyer he would initiate contact with sellers, negotiate prices, and present what appeared to be legitimate proof of electronic payments.
However, investigators revealed that the so-called payment confirmations were fraudulent documents designed to convince sellers that funds had been successfully transferred. Relying on these falsified receipts multiple victims handed over their vehicles along with official registration documents including logbooks, only to later discover that no money had been deposited into their accounts.
Court proceedings further revealed that Chikwani’s coordinated scheme resulted in the theft of at least 19 vehicles with losses spanning several districts and leaving numerous victims financially devastated and without recourse to their property.
The court described the offences as calculated persistent and deliberately targeted at vulnerable members of the public using online selling platforms. It was also noted that the accused had been residing in South Africa illegally at the time of the crimes adding an additional layer of unlawful conduct to the case.
Law enforcement officials welcomed the sentence, stating that cyber-enabled fraud and vehicle theft schemes of this nature pose a growing threat to online marketplaces and public trust in digital transactions. They emphasized the importance of verifying payments directly with banking institutions before releasing goods.
The 15-year prison term is expected to serve as a strong deterrent against similar scams, particularly those exploiting social media platforms to defraud unsuspecting sellers.
Authorities have urged members of the public to exercise extreme caution when conducting high-value transactions online and to report suspicious activity immediately to law enforcement agencies.
The case has since been highlighted as a major example of the risks associated with digital marketplace fraud and cross-border criminal activity.
