Resident gets scammed during shopping trip
People are warned to be safe and on the lookout for scammers.
What was supposed to be a casual shopping experience for Nompumelelo Mazibuko turned into a nightmare.
Mazibuko, a resident from Petersfield, was scammed by three women who said they wanted to help her at Pick n Pay Springs Gate on Sunday.
“I was at the store getting some school snacks for my eldest child. Initially, the women pretended to be regular shoppers and after some casual conversations, one of them said she could help me get better deals on meat.
“After I showed interest in the idea, she called another woman on her phone, who was supposed to be a staff member.
“The ‘staff member’ confirmed that I could get the meat very reasonably, through a discount, if I use her ‘control number’,” she explained.
They instructed her to follow them outside where two other women went back into the store to retrieve the goods.
This cemented her trust in them and gave her the motivation to go ahead with the deal.
“Before I took the meat, I followed them outside only for them to convince me to hand over my things so I wouldn’t carry so much when buying.
“When I came outside I found them gone,” says Mazibuko.
The reality of what had just happened to her was sobering.
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“It was like I had just woken up from a bad dream. I asked the security guard if he saw anything. He said one of them left in a silver Polo driven by a man.
“I immediately panicked as my bag contained everything of value, including my car keys,” she added.
In her panic, she quickly realised she was not alone in the ordeal as she promptly received help.
“Fortunately enough, the security guards and the staff at Pick n Pay were really helpful as I was waiting for my husband to come and fetch me. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
She detailed how the manager was sympathetic and pulled out the footage to see if they could identify the culprits.
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“I am extremely grateful for all the help I have received. I wrote this story to warn people not to be too trusting of strangers,” cautioned Mazibuko.
Springs SAPS Sergeant Themba Tshabalala warned of the dangers of falling for these scams.
“People must understand how dangerous and criminal backdoor buying is and it happens everywhere.
“Not only are you running the risk of being robbed of your hard-earned money, but you are being complicit to a crime,” he remarked.
He said it is a criminal offence to buy things cheaper from employees or people who claim to be employed by the store.
“If the person is selling these goods to you, and you buy them and we catch you, you will be charged with possession of stolen goods,” he emphasised.
