Two Bits

Ask the lessor to send you his ID

Holiday season has started and unfortunately the scammers have struck already. A bunch of matrics arrived last week to find themselves without a place to stay and R21 000 down, having paid the ‘Landlord’ who is now in the wind.
I am sure that we will hear more, similar stories this season. There are more and more every year. I wish I knew how it could be stopped, but to be honest the scammers are a step ahead.
It’s easy to say that you should only deal with a reputable, registered booking agency. Unfortunately people – myself included – are in a hurry or convinced that they can get better deals by ‘booking direct’. So often it’s a short cut to trouble.
It’s so easy to Google “Ballito holiday rentals” and then the only difficulty is deciding where to start.
I was put in a similar quandary a couple of years back when booking a holiday in Italy. I’d managed to buy all the train tickets etc online and had my eye on an apartment in Tuscany, but was worried about being taken for a ride. How I got around it was by asking friends to recommend reputable letting agencies in Europe and in no time had a short list to choose from.
The safest way is to deal through a letting agency with a bricks and mortar office, street address, landline phone and registered email domain. Beware of Gmail, Hotmail or similar accounts.
Being asked to pay a deposit or the whole booking into a personal bank account should be another red flag. It could well be that they’re just renting their place out for the holidays, but people who regularly rent their properties are usually registered on legitimate sites like WhereToStay, Safarinow, TravelGround or Trip Advisor. Ask the person to send you a copy of their ID.
Go the ‘easy’ way through Google and you only have yourself to blame when it all goes wrong.
Businesses should also be on the alert. Holiday season also brings higher till takings and the criminals know this. Petrol stations and convenience stores are prime targets. I don’t mean to put a dampener on your holidays season, but security experts will tell you that business districts and coastal towns are targeted in December.
December doesn’t have to be a jolly season for criminals. Face facts, the police and security companies can only do so much. If you are going to have periods of high takings and don’t have a cash vault on the premises, then don’t stuff the day’s takings in a brown paper bag and head for the bank. There are many security companies out there willing to help you move your cash.
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We had a very charming visit to our offices from the students of Tongaat Protec, which this company has supported for the past 10 years or so with a small annual donation and by covering their activities in this newspaper. Protec is an initiative that gives extra maths and science tuition to deserving boys and girls on Saturday mornings.
They sang us some lovely songs and expressed their appreciation for the financial support, which only made me feel guilty that we give so little. Note to self: increase the donation next year.
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The lifesavers will tell you that the sea has been on its ear this year, with bathing conditions more treacherous than usual. The thousands of matrics and upcountry visitors want to have a good time and sometimes forget themselves. With more than half a dozen deaths in the sea so far this year, there has never been a more important time to take extra care at the beach.
There are some very useful signs on all Dolphin Coast beaches explaining how rip tides operate and how to escape them. Take a minute to read them.
Never swim where there are no lifeguards and never swim after drinking alcohol. And if you do get into trouble, do not panic and try to swim frantically towards the beach. If you have to, let the current take you, because it will always drop you a few dozen metres out and sometimes even bring you back.
Be safe on the beaches this festive season.
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At school one morning, the teacher asked little Johnny what he had for breakfast.
Little Johnny said, “Well, on my way to school I come across this apple tree, so I climbed up and started eating apples. I guess I eat about six,” said little Johnny.
“No,” said the teacher, “It’s ate!”
Little Johnny said, “Well it could’ve been eight, I don’t remember.”