Crooks make ‘small change’ in Durban North
Be careful when using the ATM in the area, warns resident.
A RIVERSIDE resident, who innocently helped a stranger with change outside a Durban North ATM last week, was reportedly given fake notes in exchange for her cash.
Sian Pretorius said she went to an ATM in Broadway last Sunday and withdrew R1 000 cash.
“There were two men in front of me, one was busy at the ATM, probably pretending to draw out money. He then let me proceed and I didn’t think anything of it. I thought he was done drawing money. The other man stood behind me,” said Pretorius.
After she concluded her transaction, one of the men asked if she had change. Pretorius said she handed the man 10 R100 notes and, in exchange, she received five R200 notes. The men were well-dressed and Pretorius thought they lived in the area. There were also two women nearby.
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“My husband was waiting in the car with our baby. When I got into the car he asked me what the man wanted from me. I told him that he needed change, so I gave it to him,” she said.
“My husband immediately knew that something was wrong as he had watched the men ask another man for change as well,” added Pretorius.
He checked the notes against the light in the car and, from the knowledge he gained on fake notes via social media, established that they were fake.
“He took the fake money back to them and asked the man for the money I had given him. The man agreed and gave my husband back the money,” she said.
The couple then watched them proceed to another ATM, also in the same vicinity. “I called the police, but there was no answer, so I called Marshall Security. We took a drive around the block because we didn’t want to stay in the area in case the men approached us, and my baby was in the car. When we drove past again, I saw Marshall Security was there, but the men were gone,” said Pretorius.
She immediately put up a post on Facebook groups informing people of her experience.
“There was a comment on the post from someone who said that two women approached him for change at another ATM nearby. I assume it was the same two women who were with the men,” said Pretorius.
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