Saved by the bank
Quick thinking by a bank teller and fast response from Mall of the North's security, as well as the local police prevented a pensioner from being robbed of all his money last week.
POLOKWANE – Quick thinking by a bank teller and fast response from Mall of the North’s security, as well as the local police prevented a pensioner from being robbed of all his money last week.
On Thursday morning R40 000 was withdrawn from the man’s bank account from a bank in the CBD.
A few hours after the withdrawal, the pensioner wanted to withdraw another large sum of money from the bank’s Mall of the North branch.
The man was accompanied by an unknown man.
The teller who assisted the elderly man noted on their system that the man had made a large withdrawal earlier. Suspecting something was wrong, the teller reported the matter to the branch manager.
The branch manager alerted the police, who contacted Mall of the North’s security for assistance.
When security personnel arrived at the bank, the pensioner was alone as the man who was with him had left the building and was nowhere to be found when the police arrived.
The pensioner explained to Review that his nightmare started at a mall in Louis Trichardt earlier on in the day.
“I was walking in the mall when a boy walked past me and smeared something on my shirt. Another man came to me and said it was muti that the boy put on my shirt and I needed to get help from the police.
“We walked outside and there were two men standing by a vehicle who said they were police officers. They were not dressed in police uniform, but had identification cards, claiming that they were police officers.
“They told me to get into the car so that we could look for the boy and we found the boy not far from the mall,” the pensioner said. He added that the men said they had to go to Polokwane to report the matter.
“When we arrived in Polokwane, they said I needed to withdraw all my money from my bank account before the muti took my money away.
“I withdrew R40 000 in town and then we went to the mall to withdraw some more. They said I must leave the money that I withdrew in town in the car for safekeeping while I went to withdraw the other money. At the mall I found out that it was a scam, but the men ran away before the police came.
I am very grateful that the police saved me from losing all my money,” the man said.
Mall of the North head of security, Jurgens Nel, said they were aware of the ‘muti scam’ and confirmed that it was mainly black, elderly people who were targeted.
Capt Ntobeng Phala, Polokwane police spokesperson, said a case of fraud was being investigated.
“No arrests have been made yet. We are looking for three suspects.
“Anyone with information can contact the branch commander at Polokwane police station, Col Peggy Mhlongo at 082 565 8321,” Phala said.
