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Durban - A bogus Facebook page, created in the name of KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has reportedly successfully sold a non-running car to an unsuspecting social media user, the KZN health department said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Dhlomo cautioned social media users not to fall prey to the bogus Facebook page, "which has been fraudulently established in his name, complete with his photographs, while purporting to represent him".
"Dhlomo will not tolerate the use of his name or photographs for nefarious purposes by any individual," the statement said.
The department said it has come Dhlomo's attention that the administrator(s) of the page became involved in fraudulent activities, "including reportedly successfully selling a non-running car to an unsuspecting social media user".
It was not immediately clear when the car was sold.
"Unlike MEC Dhlomo’s official Facebook page, which is managed and run by the KZN Department of Health’s corporate communications Unit, on the online impostor’s page the MEC’s surname is incorrectly spelt 'Dlomo',” the department said.
The fake page also lists Dhlomo as an employee of the Western Cape Department of Health and falsely states that he studied at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, went to Cebisa Secondary School, and lives in Cape Town, the statement said.
According to the department's website, Dhlomo went to Dlangezwa High School and later enrolled at the University of Natal (now known as the University of KwaZulu-Natal) in Durban, where he studied from 1980 to 1985 and "where he excelled in the field of medicine".
He also attained a Master’s Degree in public health from Medunsa.
Although the fake page has been reported to the administrators of Facebook, it is yet to be taken down, according to the department.
"The matter is also currently under investigation by law enforcement authorities and an independent cyber-crime intelligence expert," the department added.
