Most of you reading this post are probably familiar with the workings of a Fake Deposit Scam. There are many variations of this scam. Some scammers make use of false cheque payments, other con artists prefer fake SMS payments while the rest of the fraudsters still opt to use the old school method of faking banking deposit slips.
The Junk Mail Team thought that it would be a good idea to revisit this scam for your safety. Recently, a concerned Junk Mail user gave us insight into how they were defrauded by a Fake Deposit Scam. The Junk Mail user (who has chosen to remain anonymous) lost the item they advertised and a considerable amount of money. For the sake of user friendliness on this post, the anonymous Junk Mail user will be referred to as “Suzie”.
This is a full account of the Scam:
In the beginning of March Suzie advertised a bedroom suite for R6000 on Junk Mail. On the 6thMarch a man by the name of Harry Maake responded to the Suzie’s advert. The user received an e-mail from the potential buyer. He gave his contact details as the following: harrymaake@ymail.com, 0791871179.
Suzie called him and he said that she should provide him with her banking details and that a courier would pick up the goods as soon as the money was cleared. He said that he was buying the bed for his son in Johannesburg. Having a strange gut feeling she ignored it. That same evening at 17:04, a man by the name of Tom SMS’ d her to asked if the bed was still available. She still had a strange feeling but called him. He gave her the same story as “Harry”. On the morning of the 7th Tom called again asking for her banking details. She was reluctant but thought that she was just being cynical. She opted to give him her email address and her banking details. ”Tom” did not respond all day. She called the number most of the day and either got the phone off or a lady’s voice message.
Suzie received a SMS from Nedbank indicating that Tom Khumalo had paid R6000.00 into the account. Around 16:00 on the 7th of March, Tom called to say that the money was deposited. She called the bank to verify. They indicated that there was no money paid in. He called saying the money was in and that I should provide the address. She refused and indicated that she verified with the bank. Tom was upset and said that the money would clear the next day.
On the 8th Mar 2012 he kept on calling continuously in the afternoon. At 15:35 he sent Suzie another message saying “payment in”. She went to the ATM and saw the funds there but it reflected as uncleared funds. She SMS’d him to say that he could pick up the goods. She admits now that it was her fault for not following her gut and allowing the goods to be picked up before the funds had cleared. At 17:00 prompt the driver was at Suzie’s home to pick up the goods. Suzie had forgotten to give them the manual on how to assemble the bed. She called the driver to turn back. Tom called to say that he would meet me in a mall to pick up the manual.
On the 9th of March she tried to scan the manual into the PC in case Tom needed help. On the evening of the 9th March, Tom called telling Suzie that his PA had deposited R16,000 in error into the account and asked if she could please reverse the transaction. She went to the ATM again to check. Again there was uncleared funds of R16,000 in the account. Tom kept on calling her every 30 minutes to ask if she could transfer the funds either via internet or Shoprite to his account. He never provided banking details. He said that he owed a customer money and was going to be in big trouble if the money was not returned. He even asked if she could just at least transfer R5,000 into his account. She did not take any action.
On the morning of the 10th, Suzie SMS’d him to ask for an account number to return the funds to. He provided the following details – Account holder name: Linky Maesela, Account type: Savings, Bank: Nedbank, Account Number: 1020528672. Suzie then went into Standard Bank to enquire about this story. The lady at the bank verified that both the R6000 and the R16000 were cheque deposits at the Southgate shopping mall in Johannesburg. Tom had lied to her about doing internet transfers. The bank suggested that she report it to the SAPS, as there were many people complaining about the same issue. She said that fraudsters are printing their own cheques or stealing them to con users.
Tom called again and Suzie asked him why he lied. He was rude and just said that the funds will clear, then hung up. She never heard from him again. On Sunday the 11th March the R16,000 was reversed from the account, leaving only the R6000. Suzie asked the bank to block the account as she was not going to be responsible for the costs of the abuse. The bank suggested that she first wait for the cheque to clear. On the 14th of March 2012, Suzie checked the account and the R6,000 had been reversed.
Suzie was robbed. When she called the number, the phone went to voice mail, or it said that she had phoned the wrong number. Tom had called from the following numbers: 078 102 8005 and 083 409 2043. The drivers number is: 078 683 8162.
How to Avoid This Scam:
Take note of the Scam Warnings that have been posted on the Junk Mail blog in the Safety and Security category. The golden rule is not to let the goods go to the potential buyer unless you are 100% sure that the funds deposited into your account are available for your use. If something sounds to good to be true, be cautious. If the person who wants to purchase your item communicates with you in broken English or claims to be of high stature, be cautious.
If you have found this post useful, please spread this word by sharing it with all your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out these related posts on the Junk Mail blog:
- Danger Signs that you could be dealing with a fraudster
- Warning: Fake Deposit / Proof of Payment Scam
- How to Spot a Fake Junk Mail Competition
- SMS Payment Confirmation Scam
- Safety Guidelines For Buying on Junk Mail
- Safety Guidelines For Selling on Junk Mail
Henno Kruger
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I place a add in the junk mail for mercedes slk spares, a person with the name of GORDON ANTHONY Acc 1018231404 branch 130230 cell 0738388634 contact me, he is from PE and have most of the spares. He even send pics of the car that he will stip for parts, he insist that i must pay R5000 into his acc. i phone him back and both agree that i will dep only the coerier coast of R1050. Idep the money and that was the last i heard from the thief
I’ve also been conned by this thief on 17 / 07 / 2012, I only opened case today 19 / 09 /2012 in Bothasig. I deposited money in a FNB Account No. 62365189169 Smart Account under the name of Mr Siphiwe T Ludidi. Hoping this new info can help.
Hi Nazeem – Please forward all this detail to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za so we can follow up on this.
Hi Nazeem,
Did you ever get any feedback on your case about this guy?
Hi Corrie,
I am also a victim of this Gordon Guy.
I also posted an ad on gumtree looking for a Golf 5 engine. He called me and said he had one. He also insisted that I deposit the money and I asked if I can only deposit R 2000 and he agreed. I only deposit the R 2k last Thursday to an FNB account. I called him this morning and he said he’s busy he will call me back. I am conned!!
Thanks Lu, i went and open a case agains this thief at locall police, hope you done the same. Corrie
Hi Corrie,
Did you ever get any feedback on your case ?
I opened a case already!!
He said he is from Richards Bay in KZN to me!
Im also a victim. So once you’ve opened a case what happens then?
Hi Zandile – You’ll have to follow up with the SAPS, if they require any information from Junk Mail, you’re welcome to contact our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Hi,
Anything happened after reporting the case to the police? This guy is still operating now under the name Shaun, and is still using the same phone number 073 8388 634
Hi Michiel – No feedback from the SAPS as of yet. You can follow up with our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
I had Mr Tom Khumalo try scam me yesterday.
He sent me the Nedbank proof of payment sms and requested collection right away. Thank goodnes I googled his name and saw this scam report. Thanks guys.
Today no payment in my account, so I could have lost my lounge suite to this scammer.
He was operating from the following number 0786623576 and used the following email address tnhsupplierscc@rocketmail.com.
It seems he either runs a close corporation or using the CC as a fraud front. I goodled the CC and got the following info online.
TNH Supplies CC, 16 Prince George Avenue, Brakpan 1541, South Africa, 0117444423
Hope this may be of any aid for those that wish to try get the SA Police to check the address out for some payback.
Wish these fraudsters would earn a decent living like the rest of us and stop trying to con the ordinary citizen.
Thanks for your feedback Russ. Please forward us these details to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
I have just been scammed by this fraudster as well. I am currently tracking him down. I got a SMS from Nedbank confirming payment as well as emailed proof or payment. How many other people have been scammed by TNH Suppliers cc? He was even polite enough to phone me and inform me that it was a fraudulent deposit and he had stolen the item from me but thank you very much and could I not phone him again. If anyone who has been scammed by this company can provide me with the cell numbers, e-mail addresses and postal addresses I would be grateful. It will help my case and aid the security company I am dealing with. I want this guy punished!!!
Hi Jade – Please forward us the details and e-mails that this person has sent you. Please contact our Customer Care department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Hallo. If you are still looking for steve he will be trying to pick up a parcel at postnet eastgate mall tomorrow. He did the same to me and is still trying to scam me. I am going to notify the police about this and hopefully they will wait for him there tomorrow. This guy has got one hell of a cheack and needs to be punished.
Thanks for the update Jakolette. Please forward us details of your encounter with this scammer via ccc@junkmail.co.za
We were conned as well, by this Steve Khumalo guy. We posted an ad for a PS3 on OLX and almost immediately the next day someone was interested. It was Steve. He was even “willing” to pay postage costs. We waited for payment to come through and received an SMS and an email with “proof of payment”. Since it was from Nedbank, we figured it would take a few days before it is deposited. The we did the stupid thing of posting it instead of just waiting until we received the money. We tried calling him and he just swore at us and would keep putting the phone down in our ear. We then called from another number and asked for “Tom” to which he said it was him, then we asked for Steve and he said that it was him as well. He’s a clever little thief. What can we do? Do we just open a case? Have the police apprehended him?
Thanks for your feedback Didi. To our knownledge the police have not apprehended him. Open up a case with the SAPS (if you have not done so already).
Hi,
I have been conned again.
After that Gordon guy disappeared with my money. I continued looking for an engine. I came across an ad from this fraudster called Daniel Coetzee. He has ads on gumtree and also here on junk mail. The company name that he fronts with is S.A Engine and Gearbox Distributors. He had a workshop in Unit 5, 52 Lauda Road,Killarney Gardens here in Cape Town. I went to his workshop before I paid a deposit for my engine, after I saw it. I was Convinced that he was legit until I paid my R5k deposit. He had cars standing in front of his workshop waiting to fixed. He kept on saying my engine is being transported from JHB. Only to find out even, the guys wo had their cars standing there were also victim of this Daniel guy. He operates with the pone number 0711 668 438
Why pay someone a deposit without viewing the item? How did you pay a deposit for the Golf 5 Engine ? Please call me on 072-726-7402. Hope I can advise you further.
Hi Khalil – I’ve asked our Customer Care Department to follow up this matter for you. If you don’t get a call back from them in the next hour, you can e-mail details of the possible scam you’ve encountered to ccc@junkmail.co.za
This man is still using the same cell number 073 8388634 and the name Gordon Anthony. He scamed my Dad out of deposit money for a car enjin!!!
Hi Paula. Thanks for letting us know. Please forward us the full details of this scam to our Customer Care department via ccc@junkmail.co.za for further investigation.
We placed an ad to sell our camping trailer and within a day received a response via sms from a ‘ponen’, he wanted the trailer for him and his wife and asked for banking details which we gave.The notification came through but we knew to wait for the cash to be in the bank. He sent a sms to say the cheque was deposited so can we send the trailer to him, I told him I’m waiting for the cheque to clear then I’ll send it, needless to say we have’nt heard from him again.What really annoys me is the fact that FNB has taken R75.00 from me (the innocent party) to ‘lift’ the cheque, how unfair is that. The so-called Mr M Ponen’s no: 0827328386
Thanks for letting us know about this Gwen. Please forward the details of this scam to our Customer Care Department. You can contact them via ccc@junkmail.co.za
My son was also scammed by this Ponen guy. Unfortunately my son wasn’t so lucky and was conned out of R6000.
Thanks for reporting this to us Sonja. Sorry to hear about your son being scammed by this person. You’re more than welcome to send our Customer Care department details about this
I was also scammed and lost goods of R2500 by this Ponen guy!!
Thanks for sharing Corne. Please forward our Customer Care Department details about this via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Luckilly i believe in google otherwise i woildnt have come accross the interesting information today. I have advertised jumping castles on Junkmail & OLX for sale. Yesterday i recieved an sms from Steve 0790929745 to ask if they are still available on which i replied and asked if i could forward some pictures of them and he replied with his e-mail address tnhsupplierscc@rocketmail.com. I sent him the pics and just recieved a call from “Steve” to say i must please send him the banking details so that he can deposit the money and send the driver to collect the goods. I told him that i will wait untill the money reflects in my bank account and hesaid its fine. I would really like to get this guy who ever he is locked up for the loss he has caused everyone. What now how do i go about this ????????
Hi Kille – You’ll have to report this person to the SAPS. Also send us all the details about this scammer. Contact our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za or telephonically on 012-3423840 x2295.
Thanks to Google. Having doubts I Googled the e-mail addres and found this. The same happened to me as to KilleRgiR84. Advertised something on Gumtree and Olx. Same guy Steve contacted me via SMS from 0790929745 with same story. After reading the above I let him know via SMS that the item is already sold.
Thanks for letting us know Johanna
Glad you did not get caught!
I got contacted by a guy going by the name Steve and wanted to purchase my mobile device. He asked me what bank i was with & told him FNB, he said he was with Nedbank. I sent him Nedbank details and after a few minutes, i get an sms from ABSA. When i asked him why he transferred from ABSA, he said there wasnt enough money in his Nedbank so he used the ABSA account. I was suspicious from the start to a person offering to wire funds to your account without even seeing the goods. I knew it was a con & eventually googled the number. And this post came up.
His assumed name it Steve Khumalo with the number 0790929745
Thanks for the update Andre. Please forward these details to our Customer Care Department as well via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Steve Lhumalo’s mew details (khumalosteve633@yahoo.com)
Phone Number: 0823812689
He phoned me this morning saying he is going out of town and wants to pay me before he leaves, and will collect the lounge suite this afternoon…
I advertised on Olx and without even viewing the lounge suite, I received the payment notification from Nedbank stating that an uncleared cheque had been deposited. I sms’d Steve (or whoever he really is) that he cannot collect untill the funds have cleared. I have arranged with him to meet up this afternoon…
Anyway, just thought I’d add his new contact details…
Thanks for sharing Steve’s details Salomie. Please forward these details to our Customer Care Department as well via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Steve just contacted me about goods I am selling. His new number is 076 176 5263.
Thanks for sharing Bob
I wish I read these stories before losing my camera worth Ksh(100,000) – approx. R10,090. Same story here in Kenya, I got a call from a potential buyer on OLX-Kenya who deposited a cheque for the goods, then my bank confirmed the deposit. Later in the day the conguy sent someone to pick the equipment from my place. I wish I waited till the cheque he deposited got cleared…but this is just a lesson I had to learn.
Thanks for sharing your experience Ed
Hi i just got called by Steve i posted a add on gumtree and he called me and i got a notification from absa deposit R18 000 sms and he emailed me proof of payment. and i new this is a scam he called again and said a cain wait till the money shows in my account. his using the cell nr: 0731315477 and 0761765263 and email adress :dominic dominic he says ists his friends email.
hope thay catch him fast
Thanks for sharing these details Marius. Please report these persons to our Customer Care department as well via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Hi.
Yesterday I posted an add om gumtree for my galaxy s3. A steve khumalo contacted me using khumalosteve633@yahoo.conm and a cellphone number of 076 176 5623. Stating that he made a payment from his absa acc to my fnb acc by an sms notification. He then got angry as I told him that I will not courier the goods until I can draw the money. The address of the “posty net” I must send the item to is : post net at east gate mall. Hope this will come to use for you.
Thanks for sharing this info with our users Tiaan. Please note that Gumtree is not affiliated with Junk Mail. Please share this info with our Customer Care Department as well. You can e-mail them via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Steve is also trying to con me out of my laptop but I did my research on him, many thanks to this post or I too could have been a victim of fraud. How could we catch him, he told me he is going to the office now to make a transfer, so can’t this be setup somehow?
Thanks for sharing Jey
That steve oke (Steve Khumalo ) is at it again. I am selling one of my tablets and he has already sent me a proof of payment via ABSA. This proof of payment looks different from the other ABSA ones. The money “should” theoritically be in my account tomorrow as I am with a different bank. I sent him an sms saying that once the money is in my account I shall release the goods. He has since not replied or phoned. How can we catch people like this?
His email is: khumalosteve633@yahoo.com and his cell number is +2774-589-4872
Thanks for sharing Doug
Thanks for sharing Doug. Please report this person to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za. Also report this person to the SAPS.
I advertised some sound studio equipment and a guy called Kevin Khumalo mailed me. I was looking to sell fast so when i got the mail i called this guy. At first he thought I wanted to sell him a generator! After a few seconds he was able to recall what my sale was. Anyway, I was having a rather busy day and although I felt that things just weren’t adding up I needed to try to get my goods sold. Kevin contacted me again and he said he was going to make a deposit. A few moments later I received an SMS stating that money was deposited from an ABSA account. Kevin called again and said I must mail send him the goods immediately…….. but like I said, I was having a busy day! I had a few meetings and could only make it to Postnet a few hours later.
At postnet I got them to wrap the goods while I ran to the bank. RED FLAG…. deposit hasn’t cleared yet. Went into the bank itself and they said 2 days to clear. Called Kevin back and said I won’t be sending goods till the cash is available in my account. He got very agitated and said that if there’s a problem I must return the money to him electronically.
So now I’m left with having to pay postnet for their packaging costs (rather large parcel I might add). Didn’t pay them for that yet because I said I was going to wait for the cash to clear and they can hold my items until then.
So today I have some free time and decided to google this email address and what do you know!!! I find you lovely people having similar encounters! So I never lost anything except the packaging costs but here’s the info that raised flags:
Email from Kevin Khumalo
Email address: khumalosteve633@yahoo.com
Phone: 0736374544
He wanted counter to counter service via postnet to postnet Eastgate Mall JHB.
Apparently his driver will collect and this guys name is PERSNI GUYO
Now, Kevin/Steve is still contacting me because he wants me to send the goods, which I will do once the cash clears…if it ever does! But if this guy really is trying to scam me we can catch him easily because he’s expecting a delivery…. I need to tell him when though….
SO WHAT CAN WE DO????
Hey O – Report this person to our Customer Care department via ccc@junkmail.co.za and to the SAPS.
I was scamed by a bruce khoza 0741381380. I would just like to know if any of these guys have ever been caught. And what can we do to help find these guys.
Thanks for your feedback. Please forward us the details of this scammer. Contact our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Guys, i got some feedback from SAPS Rondebosch about my case I opened with that Anthony Gordon guy. They told me they cannot locate that Gordon Guy as this phone number 0738388634 that he is using is registered to Richard Mdluli, Thee Richard Mdluli(the dude that was a police boss and got fired)! i really dont know how he got to use Richard Mdluli’s number. They also told me that they cant arrest the Owner of the FNB Bank account that because there is no enough evidence that she is involved.
Did you guys get any feedback on your cases about this guy?