These are the words of the communications officer of the police in Carletonville, WO Peter Masooa, after a woman in town recently had a scary experience.
According to Masooa, a middle-aged woman recently looked to the police for help after she employed someone who turned out not to be whom they claimed.
The woman was apparently desperate to find a new nanny after her previous employee did not turn up for work. A friend told her of someone looking for a job and she immediately employed this woman, not checking out her particulars beforehand.
The employee had barely started working when the woman heard that unknown men had been seen coming and going at her house. It soon became clear that the woman she had employed was, in fact, a sex worker who was using her house as a base.
The woman had been working for her for just two weeks when she chased her away without paying her.
‘Later, three males stopped her and threatened to cause trouble if she did not pay up. They said they knew her children and her house and that she would be sorry,’ Masooa told the Herald.
After asking the police for advice, the woman decided that the only way to solve the problem was to pay the woman one month’s wages as she demanded. Although she now wants to settle the matter, she does not know where she stays, what her telephone number is or even where she can get hold of the men who threatened her.
‘This unfortunate incident is a good example of why employers must always make sure that they know who is working for them,’ says Masooa.
He says people must always check the background of someone they are considering as a potential employee. They should also make copies of the person’s ID or passport and get cell phone numbers of friends or their family and test these after a week.
‘Know where your employee stays and talk to neighbours or friends when they are not around.’ The police also advise employers to check for visible identification marks on the body if they need to look for them later.
‘Don’t leave your wealth and children in the hands of a stranger,’ Masooa warns.
