Durban 'scam victims’ blow the lid on bogus Valentine's Day helicopter tours

Some of the adverts have appeared on Instagram, with a website link that redirects visitors to other tour packages that include trips to Cape Town and Mozambique.

Those who respond are apparently directed to only use WhatsApp to communicate.

Durban resident, Shanell, says a Valentine's Day package of a chopper ride from the city's Virginia Airport ending with a picnic at a lodge in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park piqued her interest.

She says she decided to book on the 29th of January it as a surprise for her fiance.

"It looked legit because he has a business account on his WhatsApp and his details are on there. He asked me what day I would like to go and he said there's a morning and afternoon flight. He told me the afternoon is better because of the animals - you will see more animals coming. So, I believed he was very knowledgeable."

"He also said that we would have a picnic when we get there. So I was like, no I will get back to you. I think 30 minutes later, he sent another message asking what time I was going to make payment. He told me he had other couples who wanted that slot and he put a lot of pressure on me. I just told my fiance, because he has a Standard bank account, that we should just pay the money. 

"We alerted him that we were going to pay. After we paid, he said he would get back to us. By the next day, I knew something was not right because he just went silent. I messaged the man after that and even though it showed him to be online, the messages went unread. I tried calling the number from different numbers and no answer. Eventually, I saw that I had been blocked from his WhatsApp.”

Shanell says she paid R4 000 for the package. She says she has also been blocked on the Instagram account.

Listen below: 

Another Durbanite, Krien Govender, says he suspected something was off when he scrutinised the payment method that the man  from the alleged tour company insisted he use.

"His first banking method is Standard Bank and then, you follow a path of actually doing an instant payment through them. This did not sound right to me when it asked me to do an instant payment to send them a voucher to withdraw the money. 

"I continued in conversation with him and told him that my Standard Bank account is not working, can I use a different bank? He told me no problem, have a look at the next tab, which has an option for another bank and when I clicked on that, it gave me another option to do a cardless withdrawal and that didn't sound right to me either and that's when I contacted Virginia Airport."

Listen below: 

Virginia Airport Manager Glen Bryce says they have been getting about five calls of queries a day from people saying they had paid money over to the alleged company for chopper rides.

"I would like to state that any helicopter flight will be done through reputable companies at Virginia. They can call the airport to get those numbers. There is no one by the name of Martin doing helicopter tours at Virginia Airport that we are aware of. 

"The companies that are based here that do helicopter tours are BAC Helicopters, JNC Helicopters, Legend King Shaka Aviation and Starlite Aviation. So if it is not one of those companies, people need to be very careful. Also, look for the price. If the price is too good to be true, it probably isn't. I have told the helicopter companies, they are currently all aware of this." 

Another man who was interested in booking a helicopter ride for him and his wife says he was convinced it was a scam. 

He says he decided to bluff the supposed tour operator into thinking he had mistakenly paid more than he should have for the tour.

Below is the WhatsApp conversation he says unfolded between them: 

Penny Rice is the marketing manager at Rhino Ridge Lodge, the purported destination of one of the tours.

She says they launched an investigation once they were alerted. 

"I knew it wasn't valid because Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge, which we operate, doesn't do helicopter tours. We don't have permission for anyone to land and we certainly don't do picnics. So I sent the tour operator a message that I am the Marketing Manager for Rhino Ridge and we know nothing about this offer for flights to Rhino Ridge Safari lodge. 

"I said you are using our images without our permission and this is false advertising. We believe this to be a scam and please remove all advertising relating to our lodge immediately. Those images came down. 

"You cannot get permission to fly and land here. It's a very sensitive area because of poaching. I mean, we are not even allowed to fly a drone out here, let alone a plane." 

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park falls under, says it's also been made aware.

Spokesperson, Musa Mntambo, says they have been contacted by couples who have brought the adverts to their attention.

"Please don't participate in that scam. There is no way that Ezemvelo will hire a helicopter that can fly people to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. The helicopter we have is only used for conservation purposes."

The business address provided on the website of the tour company leads to the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. 

But V& A spokesperson, Donald Kau, says they are not a tenant on the premises, nor are they one of the four helicopter operators based at the waterfront. 

Newswatch tried numerous times to contact the number listed on the advert and the website. The calls were not answered.