Scamming, hijacking, house robberies on the rise in West
Pensioners, motorists, and students are among the more common groups being targeted.
Pretoria West police are warning residents of Danville and Lotus Gardens about the rise in house robberies as the winter chill ramps up.
Spokesperson, Constable Sibongile Vuma, says that before, criminals broke into unoccupied homes, but now they don’t care if someone is home or not.
“That’s very scary, and we want the community to be united, form forums, and be active. We want them to protect one another, as the police cannot protect the entire community alone. We need the assistance of the community,” Vuma said.
Vuma says the station currently has patrollers but needs more as she says criminals tend to move to other areas when communities present united fronts.
To join the CPF, one must be scanned first and undergo a full review of your criminal record.
Caution when it comes to self-defence was also recommended, as these criminals lack empathy for human life and residents are advised to comply should they find themselves in a predicament instead of risking their lives.
“Upgrade your security. Place burglar bars on your windows and doors. Make sure your windows and doors are closed before you go to sleep because they look for loopholes. So if they can see that now and then, when this car leaves, they leave the gate open, it’s a sign that there’s no one in the house.
“Automatically, they would scout, even for a whole week, they could monitor you and know everything. How many of you are in the house? If there are females, if there are children, what times do you come and leave, everything? Especially in Danville, there are a lot of student accommodations, so we also appeal to landlords to say these people may approach you, saying they are looking for a place to stay, only to find out they’re scouting,” Vuma said.
She adds that landlords should avoid doing viewings alone as once criminals gain entry, they can survey which valuables are in the house or attack them then and there if the landlord is vulnerable.
Another trend on the rise is people pretending to be salespeople
Quagga Mall is said to be another popular spot for students to get scammed. Vuma says the mall doesn’t offer half-priced goods though they have had students reporting scammers offering clothing and items for bogus discounts.
Students are advised that any sale a store may be having will be advertised at the store, and to be alert to these phoney solicitors attempting to rob them.
Hijacking is another trend on the rise affecting the West CBD and Lotus Gardens.
“People must be careful when going to the shops, you cannot leave your car idling, saying I’ll only be two minutes, just in and out, by the time you finish paying, your car will be been gone. Those people standing outside the stores are the very same ones scouting potential victims so be aware. We cannot go to every store in Pretoria West and chase them away. Hijacking can happen to anyone,” Vuma said.
Pretoria West residents are also advised to be on the lookout when driving on Staatsartillerie Road and Vom Hagen, especially at night as private security teams report that people throw stones over bridges while the police investigate and do patrols to catch the perpetrators of this new trend and ensure the motorists’ safety. WF Nkomo is recommended as an alternative.
Bogus police officers is another ongoing trend to watch out for as, despite these imposters being caught on social media, the trend continues and their methods evolve.
“The previous one they’ve been using is that they would be on the road, especially your N4s, they would drive with lights on, stop you and say hey, we’re investigating 1, 2, 3, or you match a description of this suspect and we need to clear you or whatever. As residents, we say to you, tell them, let’s meet at the nearest police station, and then you’ll see. If it’s real, they’ll go with you; if not, they make excuses,” Vuma says.
Vuma adds this is in cases of unmarked searches and that detective teams very rarely conduct stop-and-searches, as this is a task left for marked vehicles.
Another trend targeting residents who have been hijacked or had their car stolen is scammers calling the victims, pretending to be police or saying that they have recovered the vehicle and require a towing fee.
The scammers would know all the information about the car, how it was stolen/hijacked and even the details of the owner, only to ask for a small fee to transfer it to the nearest station.
Residents are advised that recovered stolen vehicles are taken to the nearest pound for processing and SAPS does not ask for any money to transfer it.
Road Accident Fund and Pension Fund collectors are also targets of phoney metro officials. People are advised to wait in line, no matter how long it is, to speak to accredited officials instead of trying shortcuts with scammers.
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