Scam victims urged to open a case
WO Majola Nkohli, spokesperson for the police in the Sarah Baartman District, urges those who have been targeted by the notorious scammer in the DBNLM to open a case at the local police, since this is the only way in which police will be able to intervene. Pretending to be a municipal official, this person, who identified himself as Collin Reddy, used the number 082 268 6411 to contact residents and business owners, offering to reduce arrears on municipal bills.
The confident way in which he has been conducting himself raised suspicion.
The owner of a local guest house who has also been contacted says the fraudster threatened to disconnect his water supply in the event of him failing to make payment of the demanded amount via e-wallet.
He was told that those instructed to disconnect were outside his guesthouse and ready to the pull the plug unless payment was received with immediate effect. He was also told that payments via EFT to the municipality would take at least three days to reflect and this would result in his establishment being without water for about a week.
What the owner finds particularly concerning is the fact that the fraudster demanded the exact amount of his rates account due to the municipality. This information is generally not available to the public and raises serious questions around how he could have gained access to it. "This guy definitely knew what he was talking about," he says.
For this reason, he is particularly concerned about the elderly. "People like this normally prey on the elderly who are easily intimidated and most likely to give in to someone who demands something so convincingly." Unfortunately, according to Nkohli, there can be no investigation into this person's identity without a registered case docket and therefore opening a case is critical. A question relating to the fact that this person appeared to have access to inside information was submitted to the municipality but at the time of going to print no response was received.