From fake investments to dodgy digits: Protect yourself

Lorraine booked a stay at a hotel on KZN’s south coast, expecting to have direct access to the beach, based on its promotional photos. But when she arrived, she discovered that the beach was a few hundred metres away; down a hill and across a road, although to be fair, that is disclosed on the hotel’s website. 

Terminology is key. So when looking to make a booking for a coastal getaway, know this: if the accommodation is described as “beachside” instead of “beachfront” you’re going to have to take quite a walk or ride before getting your toes in the sand.

And here’s a top tip: Google Maps will reveal just how far.

2. Ever wonder who pays when your delivery person has to make repeated attempts to deliver to you?

Takealot customers: I get that it’s annoying to be given a very big delivery window - essentially any time during an entire day, making it difficult to plan. 

But did you know: if you are not available to accept a Takealot delivery, the delivery person has to return how ever many times it takes to get it to you, because they don’t get paid until there is a successful delivery. 

So it’s not Takealot that bears the cost of all that extra fuel and time, but the driver.

3. Investment schemes - so much fakery to navigate

Deepfake videos and fake WhatsApp groups are increasingly targeting consumers, with scammers impersonating figures such as retired businessman Laurie Dippenaar, Elon Musk, and Patrice Motsepe to lure investors. 

These convincing fakes often promise unrealistic returns, urge quick action, and lack proper documentation. 

Red flags include a direct personal outreach from unlikely sources, exaggerated profits, and requests for you to pay your money into a personal, not business account. 

Always check with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) for a valid a financial service provider’s license number using their website search tool, or call 0800 20 37 22.

4. Your new cellphone number could well have had a dodgy past

Networks take cellphone numbers away from people who don’t make network calls or send SMSs for around three months, and because there’s a shortage of new numbers, they issue them to other people.

And in many cases, people choose to surrender their cellphone number to avoid something - and those are the ones that you really don’t want to unwittingly inherit.

Stephen Craig of Ballito faced relentless calls and texts from debt collectors chasing the previous owner of his newly acquired MTN number for money owed to Capitec, Ackermans, and Woolworths. 

Explaining he’s not the debtor has proved futile - the companies demand the prior owner’s ID number, which privacy laws prevent MTN from sharing. 

So it seems Stephen’s only escape is to surrender that number and pass on the problem.

5. Steer clear of cellphone roaming bill shocks

Dassie Moodley’s five-day cruise from Durban to Mozambique left him with a shocking R75,000 cellphone bill from Cell C, despite him insisting his phone was in flight mode. The 328MB of data, allegedly used on February 17, 2025, triggered SMS alerts about nearing and exceeding a R50,000 limit - but he didn’t see them when they were sent. 

Turns out his phone did make a foreign network connection. When his phone died, he recharged it, and between him switching it back on and putting it back on flight mode, the damage was done.

After I took up the case, Cell C wrote off that hectic bill and undertook to enhance its roaming controls.  

The advice: Confirm roaming settings and bill limits before travel and keep flight mode on.

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