Beware: WhatsApp scam targets not one, but two, Herald scribes
Their shared experience serves as a reminder that scam artists are everywhere and can be sneakily clever.
Rob Fidler and Leila Edwards are two of the South Coast Herald’s neighbourhood news scribes.
Rob writes the Uvongo news and Leila pens the Umtentweni column.
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Both are popular and well-known, but ironically perhaps have not (yet) met each other.
Yesterday, Leila messaged journalist Shona Aylward to ask about a certain Rob Fidler, who claimed to work for the Herald.
Long story short, ‘Rob’, hugely apologetic and perfectly polite, asked Leila to help him out of a bind, a small favour if you like.
Of course, it’s for a small loan as ‘the ATM has swallowed my card and banks only open tomorrow and it’s just to get petrol and basic groceries etc’.
There’s a promise to pay it back by 9am the next day, with the usual ‘I’ve tried everyone else, close friends and family’.
Obviously, she did not fall for it.
At around about the same time, Rob sent yours truly (David Rush) a message asking if I knew a certain Leila Edwards.
He explained that he had received several calls and messages from ‘Leila’ asking for a R1200 loan.
“She says she is in Empangeni and will pay me back tomorrow when the banks re-open. She says her card was taken by the ATM,” Rob explained.
I explained, to his horror (and amusement, eventually) that she was asking pretty much the same thing about him.
Their shared experience serves as a reminder that scam artists are everywhere and can be sneakily clever.
Don’t fall their tricks.
Meanwhile, catch up on what Rob and Leila have been writing about lately in the Herald and on our website.
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