Fraud charges laid in apparent letting scam

A case of fraud has been opened against a Ballito businesswoman who allegedly defrauded holidaymakers of R37 300 paid for matric Rage accommodation that was already booked out to another group.

Adéle Brink, the agent who brokered the deal, claimed to the Courier that she also fell victim to the same elaborate scam by the hand of a man who calls himself Daniel Edwards, who allegedly advertised 5 Hawkins Road, Ballito on Gumtree as self-catering holiday accommodation. At the time of going to print, she had however not yet opened a case with the police but said she intended to. Brink also owns a cleaning service, Elite Services Ballito.

A group of 14 boys from Nelspruit had to find last minute alternative accommodation for Rage from November 27 to December 7 when Daniel Edwards, the man posing as the owner of 5 Hawkins Road, claimed that the house had been robbed on November 18 and he did not want to let anyone stay there until security had been beefed up, the insurance case settled and stolen items replaced.

One of the parents, Linda Pieters, who works for the North Coast Courier‘s sister publication, the Lowvelder in Nelspruit, was suspicious and started asking questions.

The Courier investigated and found that Edwards did not own the house, there was no robbery and Brink neither had authorisation from the actual property owner to lease out the house, nor was she a registered letting agent.

Edwards told Brink in an elaborate email that the previous tenants were attacked by five armed men who tied up and locked up the women and children and tortured the men until they gave them all they had – even their clothes. He claimed the robbers also loaded up all his televisions, decoders and small things of value in a bakkie and drove off.

Linda Pieters’ husband, Hendrik Pieters, told Brink they were prepared to take the house anyway, as is without televisions, and would not hold her or the owner liable if the crime was repeated.

Suddenly nobody could get hold of Edwards. Emails to him were returned as “not delivered” and his cellphone number was no longer in operation.

Brink claimed that she had no physical address or banking details for Edwards as she apparently met him at a shopping centre to pay over the Pieters’ money in cash because, for tax purposes, he did not want the money paid into his bank account.

Brink undertook telephonically to refund the R37 300 after Hendrik Pieters threatened her with legal action. She refunded only R18 000, which she paid towards alternative accommodation for the boys – arranged by Brink. Pieters said in a sworn affidavit that he has not received any further refunds and has opened a case of fraud against her with Nelspruit police.

Once bitten, twice shy, Hendrik Pieters canceled his family holiday accommodation from December 17 to 27, also booked through Brink and said he was lucky to find accommodation elsewhere in Ballito.

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