Angella Johnson
A GANG of con artists has ripped off senior citizens to the tune of hundreds of thousands of rands after accosting them in shopping centres and offering to double their savings instantly.
Police say they are baffled that so many old people have fallen prey to the scam in Gauteng, the Free State and the North-West province. ‘I can only conclude that the public are gullible fools because everyone wants to make money fast,’ said Inspector Andy Pieke.
He said there could be up to 20 members in the gang relieving pensioners of cash across the country. Cases include R23 000 taken from a pensioner in Alberton, R60 000 in Turffontein, Johannesburg, R50 000 in Randburg and R28 000 in Newcastle. In all the cases, the victims were over 55.
In one case a 79-year-old Sasolburg widow was tricked out of her R20 000 life savings by crooks who literally took her for a ride as they drove around for over five hours, going from bank to bank before draining her account.
Marie Horn had just collected her R395 pension from a Sasolburg post office on December 5 when she was approached by a young blonde woman with yellow teeth who claimed to be surveying shoppers for a Sun International competition.
‘She asked me to name one of Sol Kerzner’s wives,’ Horn said in an interview this week. ‘I said Anneline Kriel, and she asked me some more questions about Penny Heyns, which I also got correct. Then she told me I had won a big prize of either a microwave or a video machine.’
Horn opted for a video machine, which the woman said they could go and collect immediately. As they walked out of the shopping centre, ‘yellow teeth’ asked how much money she had in her handbag. Horn, who had just withdrawn R1 500 to buy Christmas presents, handed over R2 000.
She was told the money would be doubled as soon as they reached the ‘office’ where the boss was waiting with the prize. At this point two white men joined the women. They were introduced as winners who were also on their way to collect prizes.
‘Yellow teeth’ asked if Horn had any money in the bank and offered to treble it immediately. ‘I told them I had ‘R22 000 and they took me to get a guaranteed cheque for R20 000.’ But the Nedbank branch they visited refused to issue a cash cheque and insisted on a named payee.
She was then driven to Alberton to another Nedbank branch where she drew a cash cheque and handed it over to ‘yellow teeth’.
‘They told me to say the money was to buy a car at an auction,’ Horn said. ‘I had a funny feeling that something was wrong, but they would not stop talking about how lucky I was and how my grandchildren would be happy with the extra presents I would be able to afford once I had got the extra cash bonus.’
Back in the red Mazda or Cortina, which was being driven by a black man, Horn was taken to a bank near Alberton City and told to go and make security arrangements for her imminent windfall to be deposited.
Accompanied by one of the ‘prize-winning’ males she made her way to the bank, but as they approached the door the man said he had to throw something in a dustbin and would meet her inside.
‘I was waiting in the queue for a while because it was busy and when he didn’t come in I started to smell a rat,’ Horn said. ‘I almost fainted with shock. It had taken me six years to save that money and they just took it like that.’
The crooks had disappeared, leaving her kilometres away from her car and with only R1 in her purse ‘ just enough to make several calls to relatives before someone could be found to collect her. ‘It’s heartbreaking that these people are picking on pensioners like me who are not very well off.’
‘They were smartly dressed and did not look like rogues but they have certainly left me with precious nothing. If my children had not pitched in and given me money I would not even be able to buy food.’
According to the police, about 40 similar scams have been reported this year, but it is believed the figure could be higher because many victims are too embarrassed to go to the police.
Pieke said that it was a very organised crime and appeared to be perpetrated by a large multi-racial group on a rotation system.
‘We have had some arrests, but they either get out on bail or in one case the victims failed to attend court and the case was thrown out of court.’