In August, George Agaba started the process of importing a Toyota Land Cruiser TX 2008 with a car dealer in Kireka, Kampala. He made an initial deposit of $40,000, (about Shs148m). He was to clear the balance upon delivery of the car.
“Although I had been told that I would receive the car within two months, it had not arrived even after three months of waiting. I went to police and one of the dealership agents was arrested. At Jinja Road Police Station, I learnt that many had been scammed in a similar manner,” Agaba says.
Agaba is one of the many victims who recently lost money through car scam deals involving a local car importer. The victim’s moneys were taken but no cars were delivered. Worse still is the fact that the cars most victims had paid for were still being displayed online for sale.
Richard Mugerwa, who has been in the car importing business for 12 years, says in regard to the previous Be Forward saga, it was not Be Forward at fault but rather, the agents in Uganda who traded under the company name.
According to Mugerwa, a car importer, genuine car importing companies such as tradecarview (TCV) will not release money to the seller once you make any payments. The money will be held in an escrow account until confirmation from the buyer that the car has been received and in good condition.
“The account is managed by the website through whom you are importing the car. Once you receive the invoice…
