ELDERLY residents seem to be easy targets for criminals lately and their ignorance with regards to technology is being used against them.
An older Pennington woman was recently targeted by a man, who goes by the name of Ricardo Alex Naidoo, claiming to work for Eskom.
The well-spoken and well-dressed man in his mid-20s had somehow acquired the elderly woman’s phone number.
After speaking to her on the phone once, he showed up at her home. He offered her a special pensioner’s deal of R330 per month per property which covered the cost of electricity, water and rates.
The deal also included a once-off payment of R2 000 that would cover the cost the installation of a solar panel system that would feed back any unused electricity into the grid. She then phoned a friend who went to her house to advise her on whether or not she should sign the deal.
‘Mr Naidoo’ had forged a certificating authenticating his position at Eskom. He also claimed to have been given a franchise by the company. They sat down and went over the contract but when both women suggested a copy be made of the paperwork the man refused.
The woman’s friend pointed out that it appeared to be a scam and she decided not to sign the stop order which he was expecting her to sign there and then.
Her friend says, “I went out of the door with him to see what vehicle he was driving, to get a d description and number plate, but he walked down the road and out of sight.” And when she went to use her cell phone we discovered the battery was missing.
The public is urged to be aware of these people who use the naive nature of the older generation to their advantage. Well established companies don’t usually send their employees from door to door, therefore this can be seen as something of a red flag.
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