Beware the “Manpower scam”

A tried and tested scam is doing the rounds on the North Coast and business owners are warned not to fall into the trap.

The “Manpower scam” targets businesses with the claim that representatives have an agreement with the Department of Labour to sell updated copies of labour legislation charts such as the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Occupational Health and Safety Acts and Employment Equity Act by claiming the current ones are outdated.

According to Roelf du Toit, general manager of Prince’s Grant Estate, they were recently targeted by one such scammer.

“A youngster called ‘Mike’ tried to convince us that they had an agreement with the Department of Labour to distribute updated copies of the labour legislation charts.”

“He insisted that we pay cash for the charts and got very agitated when additional company information was requested and left the offices.”

Apparently the scammer even produced a tax invoice under the company name “Manpower Law” with the vat registration number, 4630248161.

“These guys are travelling in a silver/ grey Opel Astra with vehicle registration DYM955FS, it has been confirmed that the plates are fake and might be different when trying to enter your estate,” said du Toit.

This same scam was doing the rounds on the South Coast last year and in other parts of the country dating back to 2011.

Dylan Meyrick, owner of IPSS Security Operations, told The Courier that the scammers included two white males and a coloured male.

“Everybody is looking for these guys,” said Meyrick, “so it’s possible they may have moved on to target another town.”

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