Johannesburg - Hardly a month after its launch, Santaco
Airlines has become a potential target for scammers.
Several websites have announced that taxi group
Santaco intends selling 40 million shares at R1 per share to investors,
starting from Saturday. But the organisation denies this.
Santaco CEO Bongani Msimang said on Friday the
association of taxis was investigating who was behind at least two websites
that have posted the hoax messages masquerading as official comments from
Santaco.
Msimang said they feared that the messages could have been
aimed at their target market, which he said might not have the sophistication
necessary to fully appreciate the trade in shares.
He said: “Our target market is composed of people from
previously disadvantaged communities and we would not want to embark on an act
that will confuse them.
“Santaco would not launch the airline and offer shares to
the general public haphazardly.”
Msimang said the airline company has launched a probe into
the matter.
“Though we have not verified this, we suspect that the
people who are behind these misleading messages are travel companies,” he said.
The websites also falsely claim that Santaco last week
announced a return ticket to the Eastern Cape for as little as R700.
The websites read: “The reservations launch date for Santaco
Airlines is 1 October 2011, but there’s already some info on their website.
It’s not clear whether what they call the ‘full price’ includes airport taxes.”
Santaco said it would only announce its fare structure in a
month’s time, when it would also disclose details of its share scheme.
The websites then go on to praise Santaco Airlines: “It’s a
good innovation to see that they plan on charging less for standby flights than
return flights.
“Airshare prices are if you buy 10 seats upfront. They say
that you’ll have to join the Santaco Loyalty Club in order to purchase a
ticket, which you’ll do using your Santaco travel card.
“I can’t wait till 1 October to see the details. Become a
Santaco shareholder.”
The websites then state that Santaco will sell shares to the
general public: “On 1 October 2011, Santaco Travel Ltd will be placing 40
million shares at R1 a share. Whether BEE (black economic empowerment) or not, you can apply.”
Msimang dismissed the websites as a hoax.