At least 30 residents allegedly scammed by the same people or person have come forward to tell of their experiences.
Koekie Alie, 56, and several other residents met with the Herald on Monday, 24 April, to spill the beans on a surplus and provident fund that robbed them of their money.
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On arrival at Alie’s house, the residents each spoke of their money loss. Most of the residents are pensioners and they are very angry at being taking advantage of.
Alie says, “This woman wanted to help our residents get a good surplus and provident fund. So most of us gave her R460 plus R2 for the SMS she sent us to inform us of the amount of money we will each be receiving.”
Alie added that, to join this fund, they each had to give the woman R2 and then three days later, they’d all receive an SMS. In Alie’s case, the SMS told her she would receive an amount of R324 789 surplus and R148 706 from the provident fund.
The amounts on her husband’s SMS were R209 961 surplus and R41 561 from the provident fund. The amounts on all the SMSes the residents received were more or less the same. The woman then gave each of the residents a date on which when the money would allegedly be paid out. Alie’s date was 2 March, but no money was received and no other resident received any money.
The residents also had to provide the woman with their identity numbers, but no contracts or paperwork were completed. Furthermore, no receipts were given to any of the residents who paid R460. Some of the residents paid R460 per family member, meaning that they paid a total of R920.
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Some of the residents confronted the woman who allegedly also stays in Toekomsrus. She allegedly told them she paid her boss the money through a large local supermarket’s money market and not into a banking account. The Herald is aware of the scammer’s name, but will not publish it until a police case is opened.
The woman then told them that her boss had gone missing. When asked if anybody had reported the scam to the police, the residents said because they did not get receipts, they have no proof other than the SMSes they received.
Ishmael Abrahams, 73, another resident who was scammed said, “We were preyed on because we are vulnerable and mostly pensioners.”
Alie added that this had not only happened to them, but also to residents in Mohlakeng, Bekkersdal, Westonaria, Eldorado Park, Potchefstroom, Kagiso and Dobsonville.
It is said the scam started in September last year.
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