Supermarket fraudsters on the prowl
The victim explained she isn't easily fooled, but what happened next should be a warning to other residents.
Two fraudsters, one of whom claimed to be the manager of a local supermarket, enjoyed a brief shopping spree after conning and robbing a Dalpark woman of her bank cards and other valuables.
The victim, who asked not to be named, had gone grocery shopping at a supermarket in a local shopping centre with her 16-year-old son on Wednesday, last week, when a friendly and neatly dressed woman approached her and started making small talk.
“We started talking about how expensive food is and that’s when she mentioned that she knew the manager and she could help me pay less for everything,” said the victim.
“At that stage, your guard is down.”
The victim explained she isn’t easily fooled, but what happened next should be a warning to other residents.
“The ‘manager’ talked to me and explained that she’ll be able to help with a discount, but I shouldn’t let security or the other employees see us talking.”
“We were told to go outside with them so they could explain how it works.”
The resident told the Herald she initially felt sceptical about the situation, but the women convinced her.
“It seemed like they bewitched me with all of their words and I believed them.”
In order to finalise the deal, however, the victim was asked to punch her bank card’s pin number into a phone.
“I then left my belongings with my son to go back to the supermarket with the woman,” she said.
“When I turned around to have a look at where my son was sitting, he was gone.
“My immediate reaction was that they had kidnapped him.”
The victim left the store to look for her son.
When she found him, he explained that one of the women had taken the victim’s handbag and fled.
“Everything happened so quick, but I can’t believe I was so naive, ” said the victim.
“I always read about scams like this and thought it would never happen to me.”
While reporting the incident to security personnel, the victim received notifications from her bank of activity on her accounts.
The victim immediately cancelled the cards and the theft was reported to Brakpan police.
Also read:
Supermarket fraudster robs pensioner
Vehicle theft victims beware: Police warn of new scam
MTN warns customers of SIM swap scam
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