Con-artist’s victims asked to contact the police with any information

POLOKWANE – A local woman was forced to make an agonising decision in the interest of preventing crime when she exposed her sister as allegedly being a con-artist who apparently lies about her family’s circumstances to get financial assistance from kind hearted residents.

The difficult decision by Ria Botha to warn unsuspecting residents about Anna Vermeulen, who also calls herself Annie Vermeulen, Annie Nagel and Annetjie Vermeulen, was reinforced after the police received complaints that they had been conned out of money by her.

According to Botha, her sister had managed to collect thousands of rands under the pretence that she needed money to assist her extremely ill/dying/dead parents. Another story she allegedly used was that she needed to travel somewhere for a job interview but her car had broken down.

These stories were not true, Botha said. She said her parents, Girlie and Hannes van Niekerk, were well-known in the city that they had lived in for many years until they retired and moved to another province. “My parents are very healthy. Even though my father does have cancer, he is well ta-ken care of and is currently undergoing his last chemotherapy. My mother has been diagnosed with being in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease, but both are getting top-quality treatment and do not need any financial assistance,” Botha said.

Vermeulen also stayed at several guesthouses, which she allegedly did not pay for, saying her mother would foot the bill.

One of her alleged victims, Johan Venter, told Review that he was deceived into giving her R1 500, which she claimed she needed desperately to travel to Cape Town in order to take up a job offer. “It’s been over a year and I’m still waiting to be repaid,” he said.

A well-known Polokwane businessman, who did not wish to be named, said he was tricked into giving her R1 500, and he bought her food. “This is one of the reasons that I no longer want to help others who are in need. I always kept a little extra money aside to use as a donation should someone come to my shop asking for help. But because of this woman and others like her, I think twice before assisting anyone,” he said.

Botha said it upset her terribly to find out that her sister was not only allegedly besmirching her parent’s good names but also owed them a lot of money. “They have enough to deal with at their age without having to deal with this. She is breaking their hearts.”

In spite of several attempts to contact Vermeulen telephonically, Review was unable to reach her for comment by the time of going to print.

Anyone who has been an alleged victim of Vermeulen is requested to contact their nearest police station.

Some victims have already opened cases with the police.