Don’t fall victim to fraudsters this festive season
“Conmen use this time of the year to cheat people by taking their hard-earned money. Be careful of so-called salespersons who offer additional discounts or staff discounts.”
Brooklyn police have given advice to shoppers to take some extra precautions in order to protect themselves and their belongings this festive season.
“Conmen use this time of the year to cheat people by taking their hard-earned money. Be careful of so-called salespersons who offer additional discounts or staff discounts,” said police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach.
“These fraudsters can be very convincing.”
Weilbach said sometimes they offer to look after their victim’s belongings while their victim is inside the fitting room.
Other times they will take their victim’s bank card and PIN to the till to purchase the selected items.
“They explain to their victim that because it is staff discount, they must go to the till.
“They always disappear with their victim’s belongings.”
Stores will advertise sales and discounts and will never give individual discounts.
Weilbach said it was advisable for shoppers to be skeptical of all strangers who start up a conversation.
Recently a woman was robbed of cash and her bank cards after a man “bumped into her”.
The woman alleged that he smeared some sort of oil on her which made her disorientated.
“She only discovered afterward that she was robbed,” Weilbach said.
She urged people to be more aware of their surroundings at all times, especially of people that might be observing or following you.
“Robbers target shoppers with flashy jewellery, expensive watches and other items by robbing them at boom gates or on their way to home.
Shoppers can assist the police by putting the following safety advice into practice:
– Do not flash large amounts of cash when paying for merchandise, rather make card payments.
– Avoid isolated ATMs. If you are distracted by someone while you are attempting to make a transaction, cancel your transaction immediately.
– Avoid answering or using your cellphone in public.
– Do not leave handbags unattended in shopping trolleys or under a chair at restaurants. Valuables such as handbags, purses and cellphones must always remain under the shopper’s direct control.
– Be alert when approached by another person who may be distracting you so their counterpart can steal from you.
– If a stranger bumps into you while shopping, immediately check for your valuable belongings.
– Children must never go to a public toilet alone.
“Brooklyn SAPS work together with centre and mall securities as well as private security companies to ensure that maximum security measurements are in place to provide shoppers with a safe and pleasant shopping experience,” Weilbach said.
Communities are also urged to play their role by reporting any suspicious persons, vehicles or circumstances to the police immediately by phoning the 10111 emergency number. Information with regards to crime can be given to the police anonymously by phoning 08600-10111 or by using the MySAPS app.
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