If you were stuck on the N11 with a flat tyre and towing services were heading to your location, the last thing on your mind would be your wife’s airtime balance, but not in the case of this potential scammer.

At 15:00 today, David Ross of Ross Towing and Recovery sent a voice note to the Traffic Alert WhatsApp group, warning members of a potential scammer who claimed to have needed assistance.

Ross repeated to the Middelburg Observer what the man had told him, “The man had a flat and needed help, and I must make sure to bring airtime along.”

While travelling to the alleged breakdown, the man asked Ross to forward him the airtime in advance, so that he could transfer the airtime from one account to the other.

As a seasoned towing veteran, Ross immediately spotted the attempted deception. He declined to forward the airtime and told the man he would hand it over in person.

When he couldn’t find the vehicle at the specified location, he knew his time had been wasted by an alleged fraudster.

Concerned that other towing services may waste their resources on the hoax, Ross asserted in his voice note, “That is absolutely a scam, don’t even go there!”

Ross said that the caller was an older-sounding white man, who asked for R180 of MTN airtime for him and his wife.

The Observer contacted the number of the alleged charlatan, who said, “That was a private matter, do not call back again.”

• The Observer has reported on a number of airtime scams over the past decade.