POLOKWANE – Jenny van Zyl makes a living by buying and selling items form house sales and auctions so when she got a call from a homeowner who said he had a house full of unwanted furniture and other items he needed to get rid of, she jumped at the opportunity.
Van Zyl was recently contacted by a homeowner who claimed his tenants moved out of the house they were renting from him, leaving all their belongings behind.
“I was very interested because the man said he wanted to sell everything in the house and that I could make him an offer because all he wants is to get rid of the items in his house,” Van Zyl said.
She arranged to meet with the man but on the day of the meeting, he sent her a message saying he was out of town but had arranged with someone else to escort her to the house. Van Zyl however, was expected to send the other person airtime so they could contact her.
“I tried to call the woman but could not reach her and called the man back saying that she did not answer my calls. He urged me to send the woman airtime as he would be unreachable,” Van Zyl continued.
She said after giving it some thought, she decided to send airtime to the other person but they did not call her back or answer her calls. She continued to call the person the following day but no one answered. She then received a message saying the person did not receive the airtime and that she would have to send more, otherwise the deal would be off.
“Again the man convinced me to send the woman airtime and still nothing happened,” Van Zyl said. It has been two weeks and she has heard nothing from the owner or the other person.
According to Polokwane Police Spokesperson, WO Lesiba Ramoshaba, Van Zyl is just one of many victims of scams being operated in the city.
“We have had several complaints of scams being run in the city and most of them have cost residents a lot of money. We urge residents to be on the lookout and be aware of scams this time of the year,” Ramoshaba said.
He urged residents to report cases such as these to the police and open cases for investigation. “It is only when cases are reported that we as the police can investigate and bring scam artists to book,” Ramoshaba concluded.
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