Once again, Springs police warn residents of people posing as Ekurhuleni Metro workers.
This comes after three incidents were reported recently, in which houses in Strubenvale, Selcourt and Wright Park were robbed.
Capt Johannes Ramphora, Springs police spokesman, says people should not be fooled by these imposters.
“The community must be made aware of the modus operandi of criminals,” he advises.
”Not all burglaries take place at night, and robbers know most people are at work during the day, which could actually make their mission that much easier.”
Ramphora says that, most of the time, the person posing as a municipal worker is dressed in municipal overalls, but they hardly ever work alone.
The accomplices are waiting around the corner and are probably armed.
With either the occupants, gardener or domestic worker’s cooperation, the robbers have virtually unlimited access to the house and would normally not waste time searching for and trying to access it themselves.
During the robbery in Strubenvale, a robber dressed in two-piece metro overalls claimed he had to test the electricity meter and the gardener allowed them onto the property.
After the domestic worker informed the first intruder that they have prepaid electricity, he phoned his accomplices, who, also dressed in municipal overalls, were also allowed onto the property.
Much to the surprise of the gardener and domestic worker, the men robbed the house.
During the robberies in Selcourt and Wright Park, the robbers waited outside the properties on refuse removal days, to gain entry to the premises when the owners took out their wheelie bins or took them back in to the property.
The Ekurhuleni Metro provided the following tips to prevent scammers from gaining entry:n Do not allow anyone to enter the property or house if you are not sure of their identity.
- Ask to see photo identification, as any metro worker or utility employees and contractors carry photo identification.
- Call the metro if you are unsure about a person’s identity. Call the police if you believe the person is an impostor.
- Do not allow anyone to enter your home claiming they must read a meter or work on electricity.
- Advise your elderly loved ones, friends, and children about what to do if strangers approach their home and ask to come in.
- Municipal employees on duty drive marked Ekurhuleni Metro vehicles.
