Desperate locals conned off thousands
SIX COMMUNITY members have been conned out of thousands following a scam conducted by a man claiming to be recruiting trainees for Transnet.
SIX COMMUNITY members have been conned out of thousands following a scam conducted by a man claiming to be recruiting trainees for Transnet.
According to a resident, who requested to remain anonymous for safety reasons, a man called Nkosi, who claimed to be from Ermelo, contacted her.
The man claimed to be part of a team that was looking to recruit young job seekers for Transnet as there would be a shutdown in July and more staff members were needed.
“He told me that I needed to send R2500 to him in order to secure a place for my child as an intern. With times being so tough and chances of young people getting jobs after studying being so slim, I thought that the opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time for my child who is currently sitting at home looking for a job,” said this resident.
She, along with five other neighbours started communicating with this Nkosi, sending different amounts of money through the Spar money transfer system.
It is suspected that this was done strategically so that the crook would not get caught, as no ID document is required from the person collecting money through this system. “He only wanted the money to be sent through Spar and refused to give off any banking details. We knew that something fishy was going on when he did not come to fetch the children on May 15 as was part of the agreement,” this resident went on.
The parents were told to wait at the Greyhound bus stop as this was where the arranged transport would depart to Ermelo with the young interns but this never came to happen and both parents and children spent the whole day waiting. Eventually, the man stopped taking their calls.
No cases have been opened yet as the residents, who have been conned, fear for their lives and those of their children.
“I just wanted to warn other locals to be aware of this man as many of us have lost thousands due to our desperation to find jobs,” she said.
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