An elderly couple was bamboozled out of almost R2 000 at Paarl Mall after falling prey to a gang of swindlers.
Sources indicate this was not the first time such an incident occurred at Paarl Mall
It took place early in the evening of last Thursday (27 July), when the 85-year-old man and his wife had just left Pick n Pay supermarket and were returning to their car.
At the entrance they were accosted by four “very well-dressed men” who told them they had to pay for parking at the mall after 18:00
One of the men told them he did not have any cash on him and pointed in the direction of the Absa ATM.
The man then went to draw money, but on inserting his card into the machine it was swallowed, and shortly after this he received a text message from his bank showing R1 800 had been withdrawn from his account.
At the same time the “well-dressed” men had disappeared.
The victim’s wife hurried along to the Mall’s security office, but the security officer apparently remained in his locked office, saying “he feared for his life because the gang had previously threatened security that they would follow them home.”
Paarl police have confirmed that this is not the first time such a scam has taken place at Paarl Mall. Mall management have already put up posters in the Mall warning the public that parking at the Mall is at all times free of charge.
