A decent-looking and well-spoken scammer has robbed a pensioner off R1 000. The scammer apparently promised to install a chip in the electricity box of an Elandspoort pensioner, Magrieta Prinsloo.
The scammer claimed the chip would reduce her power usage and ensure power would not go out. “My sister, who lives with my mother, was not home. The man told my mother that for R150 he could install a chip in her power box that would reduce her power usage and ensure her power does not go out,” said Koba van der Poll.
“Being an old lady, my mother gave him her card and pin code because she did not have money on her. He also offered to go and withdraw the money to buy the chip.”
Van der Poll said they later discovered the man had withdrawn R1 000 from her mother’s account. She said that the man was also at other residents in the area but they did not fall for his scam.
“The man targets pensioners and women living with children only. He was at a few people’s houses promising them to install the chip,” said Van der Poll.
Another resident who the man almost scammed, Tarien Venter, said the man was very decent and appeared trustworthy. He first told her the power would go off in two hours because they had to work on repairing burnt cables at the main power box.
“The man said I should give him R150 and he would come and install a chip that would prevent the lights from going out. Luckily I did not have the money so he left,” said Venter.
Venter said she knows of four people the man had visited and they all thought he was genuine. The residents could not tell if the man was using a car to get around.
Rekord once reported on man scamming resident in Pretoria West and Danville, using the same method. “We know we will not get the money back, but we want to warn other people to be aware of this man and not to trust anything he says or give him their cards,” Van der Poll said.
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