A MAN who scammed four uMhlanga B&Bs out of more than R20 000 has been sentenced to three years in prison. Shuvaan Narain (33) was convicted for defrauding six bed and breakfasts in total from as far north as Richards Bay. Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS, believes Narain may be linked to more cases and is appealing to other businesses to contact the station.

“His modus operandi was booking into a bed and breakfast on a Friday and staying until the start of the new week. He would then hand the establishments a fake proof of payment and would further back up the claim by saying the money hadn’t cleared because he banked with a different bank.

“We are appealing to other B&Bs who may have also been scammed by this man to come forward. We were very pleased with the conviction and this is a message to criminals out there that you will be caught and you will face time in jail,” he said.

Two years ago, a conman targeted matric ‘ragers’ by promising them cheaper accommodation. The criminals had simply lifted details and photos of properties in uMhlanga, claiming to own them.  The unsuspecting school pupils would then deposit money into the criminal’s account and only discover at the last minute that holiday spots had been legitimate, but had been duped by criminals into thinking that they had booked and paid for them.