A Sunday stroll at N1 City Mall in Cape Town led to a Wellington woman being conned by a scammer introducing himself as an English tourist seeking direction.
“He interrupted my shopping while I was looking at kitchenware at Pep Home at 14:30. I was listening to music on my ear pods when he tapped me on the shoulder and asked for a referral,” says the woman, Hayley*, who claims she was scammed.
Mere minutes into conversation, before she knew it she had withdrawn R300, handed it to the alleged tourist and watched him disappear.
This, after endless warnings about scammers, techniques and safety tips to be minded near ATMs. Tourists fall prey to ATM scammers in Franschhoek almost daily, if so many reports in Paarl Post are anything to go by.
“But it wasn’t your typical ATM scam,” Hayley pointed out. “He handpicked me when I was minding my own business. I foolishly maintained the mindset to assist tourists who visit South Africa that helps boost our economy as a beloved travelling destination.”
Once he got her attention he simply asked where in the mall he should go to exchange his British pounds into “ZAR” .
“I didn’t suspect him of having intentions other than simply asking directions. He told me the information desk had referred him so many times that he was growing tired and hopeless without any cash to return his hotel.
“I, who have never left SA, let alone travel around the globe, could not help the man with any useful information on exchanging money.
“I thought I’d help him get a ride to his hotel, at least.”
Hayley tried to find ways in which she could assist the lost, friendly foreigner.
“He then started asking me about Paypal and if I had an account, or a ‘traveller’s pocket’ and many more methods of online payments I knew nothing about.
“He gave the impression of having £1 000 in cash on him, which was supposedly ‘daddy’s money’ as he shamelessly implied. Money was not the issue, just a matter of currency.”
He helped Hayley set-up her own Paypal account, without attempting any funny business to gauge her personal information.
“We awkwardly exchanged names only once I decided to help. Not once did he try to hold my phone.
“He certainly was streetwise, later revealing the name Callum Williams, son of Michael Williams. He genuinely seemed like an English chap, with the British accent, pale skin, blonde hair, calling me love as if we were drinking at the local pub.”
They agreed on an exchange with each other, in which Hayley drew R300 cash at the ATM, while so-called Callum would have his father transfer £20 pounds into her new Paypal account.
“‘It may take up to three hours, or one (as you South Africans call it)business day to reflect in your online account,’ Callum assured me. ‘Then it’s really simple to exchange it to ZAR on the platform.’
“I thought it was a good idea, especially after seeing the trouble he had to go through, I wasn’t interested in any of the British pounds he might’ve had.
“Only once he had gone with the cash, and the shop attendant at Pep told me another woman was scammed during the week, did I realise what had just happened.”
Hayley has never felt so violated or vulnerable.
“I had lost my appetite for retail therapy. I felt disturbed, almost as if I was walking around naked, in a daze. Suddenly his tactics became all too clear – manipulating without triggering any red flags.”
Subtle signs of a scammer’s tactics:
- When the scammer asks for directions instead of a sob story or asking outright for money.
- The scammer does not ask for personal details, but rather profiles your street smarts.
- The scammer claims to have a lot of money (as a foreign visitor).
- Wears travelling clothes and gear such as backpacker tracksuits or a moonbag clasped by the chest.
- Claims to have left their passport or ID at the hotel for safety reasons.
- Would not take small cash for a taxi, but insists on online payment methods for Bolt or Uber.
“Do not maintain a false sense of security that you know exactly what to look out for when a scam unfolds,” Hayley warns in the hopes of helping others.
“These scammers are experts in manipulation, gaining trust and tiptoeing past the red flags.”
It’s such a shame for Hayley how such incidents make it difficult to want to help others in genuine need.
“I would say that if you still want to be a good person and try to help someone – keep it simple. Give a little cash or guidance. Stay clear from engaging too long and answering too many questions, and keep the process under two steps.
“If it takes more than two steps to help someone you’re helping them con you.”
