TWO sisters have known The Glen Shopping Centre as a safe haven for their shopping pleasure, and October 11 had been no different for them as they visited the mall for some convenience shopping.
“We were at Woolworths buying veggies when we went to the cake section,” explained one of the sisters. “The young man was there as if he was following us. The 77-year-old recalls that the young man in question had attempted to start a conversation with them when they got a “weird uneasy vibe” from him.
As they carried on with their business, the young man, said to be between 18 to 20 years old, approached them again as they walked past Boardman’s and he introduced himself as George from Mondeor. “He was very clean and neat, had a grey T-shirt on, sported short hair, he’s tall,” described the sisters.
George proceeded to tell the sisters that the old man at the store across from where they were was a mystery shopper who appears regularly on SABC 2. “Is that man your husband?” asked the young conman, “I’m so shy because I want to go and speak to him because he’s the mystery shopper and gives people vouchers.”
Management at The Glen Shopping Centre have confirmed knowledge of the incident which left the sisters traumatised as the centre’s security officers found them calling out to someone in the gentlemen’s toilets, hoping to get a response from the youngster who had led them straight into the deceitfulness of his accomplice.
“We’re asking the public to become more vigilant especially when a deal sounds too good to be true,” said The Glen Management.
Prior to the Chief security being made aware of what was happening at The Glen, the ladies explained how they were convinced by these two men to hand over all the money they had in their purses at the time.
“We fell for what he was saying because we approached the old man who asked us how we had managed to see him.”
The sisters say that even though they are knowledgeable on how con artists operate, it was like they were hypnotised by these swindlers who then suggested that they go to Steers and discuss the terms and conditions of how they were to acquire the vouchers as they were the only three people who were able to spot the mystery shopper even though he always wears a disguise. After the two sisters and the young man gave this old man their money and he requested hugs from them, he and the young man disappeared. The ladies only realised later that these men were accomplices.
Although it was reported by management that their surveillance cameras did not capture the identities of the two con artists or the events that led to the con, shoppers have been asked to be on high alert especially as the festive season approaches.
“We just want to warn people and to let them know that these guys are going around conning people out of their money,” said the ladies.
The old man who claims to be a mystery shopper is said to be between his late fifties and early sixties and wore a black trouser, white shirt, is thin in posture and he’s short. He also has black hair that reportedly looks like it could’ve been dyed.
