AFTER an elderly woman was robbed in a Bluff shopping centre, the community is warned to take precautions.
While pushing a trolley with all her bought goods, an elderly woman was bumped by another woman.
“She bent down right next to me and rubbed her ankle and I thought nothing of it – just that she had hurt herself when she bumped into me. My daughter was a little further ahead and saw the woman nod her head, but again, we didn’t realise what was happening,” said the woman, whose name is known to the Sun but preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.
When the woman and her daughter got home, they realised her wallet had been stolen from her bag.
Brighton Beach SAPS communications officer, Captain Louise Le Roux offers these tips to safeguard your belongings in shopping malls:
* Clutch your handbag under your arm with your hand, holding the handles firmly. Ensure the zip faces oncoming ‘traffic’. This will minimise the risk of you being pick-pocketed.
* Don‘t walk with your valuables in the back pocket of your pants or backpack.
* Don’t leave your handbag unattended inside the food trolley. Carry only the necessary articles in your handbag, pouch or backpack.
* Remove your motor vehicle keys from your handbag while inside the shopping centre – don’t do so en-route to your vehicle, as you expose yourself to theft by snatching or a hijacking.
* When you exit a shop, be observant of the people around you. If you suspect you are being followed, return to the shop and alert the security.
* When withdrawing cash from an ATM, use your body as a cover to prevent any person from seeing you entering your pin code. When money is received from the cash dispenser, immediately place it inside your wallet or handbag before leaving the cash hall. Also be vigilant for suspicious persons who are standing around the cash hall and report such to the security.
