Scam artist attempts to defraud domestic worker’s employers
In the past, residents have been scammed out of more than R1 000 by a man claiming to be a relative of a ‘deceased’ domestic worker.
JUST weeks after Durban North SAPS issued a warning regarding the ‘your domestic worker is dead scam’, a scam artist attempted to defraud several employers of one domestic worker within the space of two days.
According Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesperson for the station, the suspects involved in the scam try to get sensitive information about employers in order to con them out of money.
He added the scam was most popular over Christmas as most domestic workers returned home for the festive period.
Read also: Suspects arrested after high speed car chase in uMhlanga
“Initially the suspect, acting under the alias Vusi, claimed to be the brother of the domestic worker. He contacted one of her employers in Sunningdale saying she’d died in an accident and the family needed financial assistance. Luckily in this case, the employer contacted her domestic worker’s daughter who confirmed her mother was still alive.
“She knew then this was a scam and thankfully didn’t pay any money. She reported the incident to the station and through our investigations we discovered that the suspect had used the same story with several other employers of the domestic worker but again they were alert to the scam and didn’t pay any money,” he said.
In the past, residents have been scammed out of more than R1 000 by a man claiming to be a relative of a ‘deceased’ domestic worker.
Deokaran urged victims to report incidents of the scam to their nearest police station.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram
