An elderly Mitchells Plain couple has been scammed out of R7000 by a con woman posing as a City of Cape Town official.
The pair, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being targeted again, live in Rocklands.
The 80-year-old man, who spoke to the Daily Voice with his door only slightly ajar, said he won’t open up to strangers again after a “coloured female” knocked on his door on Monday morning, claiming to be an “evaluator for City of Cape Town”.
The oupa explains: “I was in the back of the house, my wife opened the door and let the woman in.
“When we got to the lounge, the woman identified herself as Miss De Bruin, but didn’t have a name tag or branding from the City.”
He says the woman came in a white Toyota Conquest with occupants waiting in the car, had notes and said she was there to evaluate the property.
“I didn’t suspect anything was wrong, I didn’t really check her out in detail, we are old and wanted to get things sorted.
“She then asked for my bank card ‘to see something’ and that’s when she must have done the swap of bank cards.
“She gave me a fake bank card and took my card.
“When she left, I looked at my card and saw that it didn’t have my signature on it. It wasn’t my bank card.”
The oupa said he rushed to the mall to check his account and discovered that R7000 had been withdrawn on the same day.
“The bank showed me that R7000 was drawn from my account in Cape Gate.
“I don’t know how she got my pin, it also showed another attempt to draw but that was my limit for the day.
“The bank said they would investigate further.”
The victim says he reported a theft and fraud case with Mitchells Plain SAPS and is waiting for a case number.
City of Cape Town spokesperson, Luthando Tyhalibongo, said all municipal and contractors should have visible name tags.
“The City wants to inform residents that all municipal workers and contractors are obliged to carry a work order number specific to that dwelling or area and a City-issued identification card.
“Residents should ask to check the official identification card if approached.
“Also, a resident should be extremely cautious when approached by a door-to-door visitor.”
“The identification card must display the City logo, the name and surname of the staff member or mandated contractor, and must contain an embedded photo of the staff member or mandated contractor.”