Be aware of fraudsters ahead of the festive season

This follows an incident where a person fell victim to fraudsters at a popular President Ridge supermarket on 8 November.

Linden police spokesperson Constable Takalani Matumba said the victim was doing her shopping when she was approached by an unknown female.

“The person pointed out to her the high prices at the store and said she had a way to get a discount. She told the woman that she knew a member of staff that would be able to organise a staff discount for her,” said Matumba.

The woman introduced her to a woman wearing the uniform of the supermarket, so according to the victim, an element of trust was established.

The victim was told to go outside of the store, and when outside, the suspects asked her to place her wallet in the suspects’ purse. The suspects would then supposedly use her card to complete the purchase when the victim was done with her shopping.

“She told the complainant to write her bank account pin number on a piece of paper and she did. When she went inside the store again, she realised that she had been scammed and ran outside. She did not find anyone,” said Matumba.

The complainant phoned her bank to block the card but she was informed that R4 000 had been withdrawn at another Randburg supermarket, and an attempted withdrawal took place at a petrol station.

The suspects allegedly used a white Toyota Corolla to get away from the crime scene.

“We would like to warn the public to vigilant of crime that targets shoppers during the festive season and throughout the year. When shopping or withdrawing money from an ATM, do not trust any person who approaches you to offer you advice or an under-the-counter deal. Never hand over your valuables or any personal information to them as they are most likely a scammer,” concluded Matumba.