Ngwelezana woman falls victim to catering scam
She was offered more than R10 000 for what she thought was a business opportunity
A NGWELEZANA woman has fallen victim to a scam after she was offered more than R10 000 for what she thought was a business opportunity.
Xoli Mlambo (33) said she was duped into giving away R2 000 to people who had requested catering services for a business meeting in Empangeni.
‘They called, but I don’t know where they got hold of my number. They said they were from Johannesburg and would be holding a business meeting in Empangeni for a weekend,’ Mlambo said.
They offered her a contract to provide food for 40 people and requested a menu and quotation. After receiving the quotation, they offered her the job.
Mlambo said they deposited a cheque of R15 000 into her account, more than what was initially agreed to.
‘They then called to say they made a mistake and explained that some of the money deposited was meant for transport . They requested a R2 000 refund, which I deposited in their account.
‘When I went to the bank the next day to check if the R15 000 had been cleared, there was no money. The cheque that was deposited was old and from an account which was closed a long time ago. I could not get hold of them to query this.’
She said an attempt to open a criminal case was unsuccessful as the deal was concluded through an in-store transaction.
Empangeni police spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, said a number of similar cases have been reported previously.
‘A case docket can be opened in such matters, but it is difficult to trace the person who withdraws the money on the other end.’
Mdlalose urged people to be more vigilant when offered tender opportunities over the phone.
‘People need to ask for paperwork and company details to verify that the company is real. Do not conclude things over the phone and give out your personal details,’ Mdlalose said.
