The police would like to warn shoppers once again about suspected scammers posing as store employees.
According to Linden Police Station spokesperson Constable Takalani Matumba, the scammers tell their, mostly elderly, victims that they can offer a store discount to them if they perform a few tasks.
In a recent incident, a victim was shopping at a store in Ferndale when she was approached by females who claimed to be store employees. “The suspects informed her that they could negotiate a discount for her at the till if she looked the part,” said Matumba.
The victim was asked to take off all her jewellery and put it in her handbag so that she could look ‘poor’. The suspects asked her to leave her handbag with them, continue shopping, and approach the tills when complete.
A few minutes later, after passing through the aisles, she realised that the three women had disappeared and she realised that she had fallen victim to a scam.
In November last year, the Linden police informed the public of a similar scam, and the police believe that these are the same suspects with the same modus operandi.
In that incident, a victim was also informed by the suspect, who was wearing a supermarket uniform, that she would receive a store discount if she allowed the suspect to purchase the goods using her wallet and handbag behind the counter.
“We would like to warn the public to be vigilant of this type of crime that targets shoppers. When shopping or withdrawing money from an ATM, do not trust any person who approaches you to offer you advice or an under-the-counter deal, even if they look like they may be a store or bank employee. Never hand over your valuables or any personal information to them as they are most likely a scammer,” concluded Matumba.
