A MALVERN couple has issued a warning to residents to beware of a man who recently conned them of R6 500 after he was paid to fix the paving around their pool area.
The 65-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she and her husband were approached by an elderly man who was seeking employment.
Described a professional smooth-talker who played on peoples’ emotions, the man (who was missing his front teeth), carried a black laptop bag and executed his scam perfectly when he won his potential victims over with his impressive knowledge of the paving industry.
Speaking about the unfortunate incident which the couple says has caused them stress and trauma, the woman said, “My husband and I were planning to repair the paving around the pool area.
“The man came to our front gate and said he was looking for a job. He showed us a file which contained pictures of the paving and other work he had apparently completed. It coincidentally was the type of work we needed to have done.
“My brother was also in the paving industry, but has since moved aboard. I questioned him about my brother and he convinced us that he knew my brother as he had worked for him.
“He also showed us a list of referral numbers. From the many numbers on the page, I was only able to get through to one man, who told me that he knew the man for 20 years and he previously worked for a reputable company.
“I was aware that the mentioned company closed down, and my brother had in fact employed many of the employees from there. This made the man’s story more believable, and despite my initial suspicion we decided to use his services.
“After giving him a plate of food, he asked our employee for a garden pick and started digging up the slasto paving. He then said he was leaving and would return shortly.
“He came back to our house with another man, and insisted on going to buy the material by himself. My husband offered to accompany him but he refused, and said that we must give him the money because he knows where to get the specials from.
“After we paid him the whole amount, he left and never returned. When we questioned the other man who was brought to our house, he said he didn’t know who the man was, he was just asked to help him and he was paid R100 for his services.”
According to the couple, two other people have also fallen prey to this scam, costing them R10 000 and R4 000 respectively. If you have been scammed in a similar way, contact your nearest police station to report the crime.
