Police on trail of ‘sweet-talking’ cellphone con

THE police are investigating a case of theft and fraud after a Johannesburg saleswoman allegedly swindled unsuspecting people out of their hard-earned cash.

Two cases to which the woman has been linked are being investigated by KwaZulu-Natal police, but more than 10 people have come forward with complaints about being ripped off by a “sweet-talking” woman.

She allegedly uses different identities and advertises her “special deals” for cellphones and genuine branded shoes on BlackBerry Messenger.

Her BBM identities are said to include House of Brands, Appletree Electronics and Faya Brandwear.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane confirmed that two cases had been opened at the Durban Central and Ladysmith police stations.

“The first report was made on January 16. A 28-year-old woman was allegedly defrauded into buying faulty cellphones. Ladysmith police are investigating a case of theft. No arrest has been made.

“The second incident occurred on May 15 when a 50-year-old man was allegedly defrauded into buying a cellphone. Durban Central police are investigating a case of fraud. There have been no arrests.”

The Ladysmith woman, who asked not be named, said that in December she deposited R7 800 for two Samsung S4 phones into what she later found was the FNB account of the woman’s husband.

“She gave us the run-around. My brother went to her house in Lenasia and confronted her parents, who said they knew nothing about her running a business.

“When I asked her about this, she brushed it off and said my phones were on their way to me. I got a package with two phones — they were not what I paid for and one of them did not work. I sent the phones to my brother in Johannesburg, who dropped them at her house. I asked for my money back, but she didn’t return it and changed her cell number,” the woman said.

The Durban man, who also asked to remain anonymous, said he paid a deposit of R11 000 in May for 15 Samsung S5 cellphones at R4 500 each and was promised 15 Samsung Galaxy Minis free — the total value of the phones being R67 500.

“I was convinced this deal was real. She even sent me the postal tracking number and a Vodacom international mobile equipment identity number to confirm authenticity.

“I made the deposit to a Nedbank account and later found out it belonged to her father. A week later, I became suspicious and called her to find out what happened. She reassured me that my phones would be with me shortly. I sent out a message on BBM asking if people had heard of this woman. I got a flood of responses from irate people who were conned by her. I reported the case to the police.”

Senior communications manager for FNB Steve Higgins said the bank was aware of the allegations.

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