A paving contract seemingly from heaven has turned into a nightmare for a Centurion man.
Marius van Staden, a resident of Valhalla, said two men recently persuaded him to give them a contract to do some paving for him.
“They said they could complete the paving at a reduced price because they had some stones left from a previous contract. It was such a good price that one could not refuse.”
At first, the men said they would start working without a deposit and will accept full payment as soon as the job was done.
“As time went by, the mastermind, known as Elias, started requesting lunch, cigarettes and other odd things, which I had to deduct from the full amount at the end of the job. The next day, Elias informed me that he needs R2 000 for a truck to deliver the paving stones to my house,” Van Staden said.
An unsuspecting Van Staden and Elias went to an ATM to withdraw the money. During this time, Elias’ team packed up and disappeared.
“After withdrawing R2 000 from the ATM, Elias said he had to wait for the truck and that I could go home. That was the last time I saw him or any member of his team,” Van Staden said.
He posted a warning on his Facebook, warning others of the scam.
“The man seemed so sincere and trustworthy but evidently he is very conniving,” he said.
He said Elias is from Hammanskraal and operates throughout Pretoria.
Van Staden said he had not laid any charges with the police.
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