"Don't Be Dom": Content Creator Garfield Zar Loses R9,000 in Facebook Marketplace Camera Scam
- Durban content creator Garfield Zar shared a video warning South Africans after losing R9,000 in a Facebook Marketplace scam
- The scammer used a fake proof of payment and an alleged InDrive courier to collect his camera before the money ever reflected
- A mysterious follow-up call from someone claiming to still have the camera left Garfield even more confused about what really happened
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Source: Facebook
A Durban content creator is out R9,000 after falling victim to one of the most elaborate Facebook Marketplace scams doing the rounds in South Africa. Luke Field, known online as Garfieldzar, posted a candid video on 13 November 2026 walking his followers through exactly how it happened — and why he blames himself for not catching it sooner.
It started simply enough. Luke listed his camera on Facebook Marketplace for R9,000 and received an almost immediate message from a buyer. The man sent a courier to collect the item and, just before the driver arrived, shared what appeared to be proof of an instant EFT payment. The number plate on the courier's vehicle matched the screenshot the buyer had sent, which put Luke at ease. He handed over the camera.
How the scam played out
Hours passed and the money never reflected. When Luke followed up, the buyer claimed his bank account had been hacked and introduced a third-party payment platform that required Luke to pay a fee in order to receive his own funds. That was the moment Luke knew he had been scammed.
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Things took an even stranger turn when a person claiming to be the original courier driver called Luke to say he still had the camera and was planning to sell it to Cash Crusaders for R650. Luke offered R800 to get it back, but the caller refused. When Luke contacted InDrive's customer support, they confirmed that none of the phone numbers involved were linked to any InDrive account.
Luke addressed his followers directly in the video:
"I am Dom. How did I just blindly trust a stranger with 9,000 Rand?" He closed with a simple plea: "Be careful out there, and don't be dumb like me, please."
Watch Garfieldzar break down how the R9,000 Facebook Marketplace scam unfolded:
Mzansi reacts to the Facebook Marketplace scam
South Africans flooded the comments section on Garfieldzar's Facebook page with warnings, laughs, and their own close calls:
@Tbo Thabo said:
"Bari ke Bari [Translation: Buddy, listen], you never let go of your item until money is in your account."
@Trevor Rolfe wrote:
"9k lesson.... never ever ever ever let any goods go unless the money is reflected in your account! Proof of payment is not, I repeat NOT a guarantee the money is paid over."
@Mudiwa Tembo shared:
"Oldest trick in the book 😫 my sister almost lost her phone the exact same way."
@Abdullah Abdulla laughed:
"They tried this with me, sent them a box with bricks 😂"
@Aubrey Kgaphola noted:
"Sometimes you don't know what you don't know."
@Olebogeng Junior added:
"They almost had you the second time 😭😂"
@Mk LK Mzwakhe Khumalo joked:
"They tried with me... I was born in Joburg that was just a walk in the park, it was a laptop 😂😂😂"
More on scams in South Africa
- Briefly News recently reported on DJ Warras’ murder suspects returning to court as details of a rental scam linked to the case emerge.
- Tourists arriving at Cape Town International Airport are allegedly being targeted by fake e-hailing drivers.
- A young woman has shared her heartbreaking ordeal after an isalamuzi street scam on her way to the library.
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Source: Briefly News
