Scamsters sell fake phone to woman for R500

A 27-year-old woman was scammed into buying a fake cellphone, and has come forward to warn others on the West Rand, Krugersdorp News reports.

Zelda Dlamini was out looking for a new phone after experiencing some problems with her dysfunctional old phone.

While she was walking down Market Street in Krugersdorp CBD, she was approached by a man who was selling a brand-new cellphone for R600. When Zelda said she only had R500, the young man then called his associate who told her that R500 was not enough for the new phone.

Zelda then gave the new phone back and kept walking. Two minutes later, she was again approached by the man who had initially tried to sell her the new phone, telling her she could have the phone for R500.

The man (in his late 20s) then gave what turned out to be a lump of putty, in the same phone cover as the original phone he had shown her, to Zelda, who paid him for it.

READ MORE: Job scammers target advertisers in the classifieds section

The man then urged her to put her new “phone” in her bag to keep it safe.

“I can’t believe I listened to that thug and did not check the phone. I only thought about checking it properly 30 minutes later, and by then they were long gone. It looked and [when you held it] felt like a real phone,” said Zelda, almost in tears.

Although Zelda declined to open a case, the Kagiso police spokesperson, Captain Solomon Sibiya, urged the residents to report all crimes at their local police stations.

“It is vitally important to report a crime because you are not just doing yourself a favour but helping other citizens and the police. There is no small type of crime, a small criminal activity develops from a molehill to a mountain. By not reporting, you are giving the criminals wings to spread crime,” he said.

READ MORE

Job scammers target advertisers in the classifieds section

– Caxton News Service

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter