Pensioners fleeced by rogue ‘municipal worker’
A scam artist made off with more than R300 000 in jewellery and R20 000 in cash from a Glenashley couple.
AN elderly Glenashley couple were robbed of R20 000 in cash and jewellery worth more than R300 000 by a man claiming to work for the municipality’s electricity department. The pensioners, 87 and 83, were at home on Saturday last week when they received a phone call, purporting to be from the municipality, said their daughter, Jenny Bower. The incident occurred on Lindsay Drive.
‘He was well dressed and well spoken’
“The man claimed to be from the municipality and said his name was Anton. He knew my dad’s name and their address and said that pensioners were being offered a chance to have pre-paid meters installed to save them money. He told him his colleague was in the area and would be calling on them,” she explained.
When the scamster arrived, he told the couple that a new municipal by-law meant all residents would be switching to pre-paid electricity meters. He even had paperwork that purported to be from the municipality for rebates on electricity consumption.
“My father said he never felt threatened in the time he was there. The man was polite, well spoken and neatly dressed. He told my dad he needed cash of R1 500 to install the prepaid meter. My dad told him he would write a cheque but he refused to accept it. He then asked for my father’s ID book, which he fetched out of the safe. When he sat down, the scamster’s accomplice phoned again and wanted to speak to my dad. While he was distracted, the municipal worker got up to walk around,” she said.
It’s believed the scamster walked behind the 87-year-old, unbeknownst to the pensioner, and spied where he kept his safe key and was able to use the distraction to steal the items. Bower’s mother, who broke her hip last year, has a nurse helping her.
“The nurse heard a noise and saw the man in the passage. He kept saying ‘go look after mommy’. A few minutes later the man ran out and said he had another urgent appointment. He asked the nurse to ‘please open the door for me quickly sissy’. When my dad walked back to the safe to put the ID books back later, he realised what had happened,” she said.
The incident has left the local couple shaken, Bower said. Bower said the reference number and a phone number provided by the scamsters did not exist.
Cash reward offered for return of jewellery
Bower said the family are offering a substantial cash reward for the recovery of the jewellery which has sentimental value. Contact her on 072 575 8401 if you have any information.
‘If you think its suspicious don’t let anyone in’
A case of theft has been opened at the Durban North SAPS. Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, warned residents not to let anyone on to their properties without identifying them first. He added these types of scams normally targeted pensioners.
“Any representative of the municipality will have an ID tag with a photograph, ID or employee number with the municipal logo. I urge residents not to let anyone in to their homes if they feel something is amiss,” he said.
Deokaran added there had been a few pensioners targeted in the Pinetown area with the same modus operandi and that police were trying to link the cases.
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