Community members, residents and visitors of Bloubergstrand are sitting with their hands in their hair after an alleged scammer, going by the name of Deon Govender, has been defrauding people out of thousands of rands posing as a guesthouse owner.
The guesthouse which Govender operates under is called Blouberg Beach Guest House which, according to the fraudulent invoices, is situated at 4 Batavia Road, in Bloubergstrand.
However, the problem with this information is that 4 Batavia Road is home to an already established, and respected holiday home, named White Waves Beach House unrelated to Govender.
Lynette Podesta, owner of White Waves Beach House, has been in contact with TygerBurger about the difficulties she has been facing, and remains hopeless as she cannot open a case at Table View Police Station due to the fact that she has not been defrauded.
Table View Police Station has confirmed that they are aware of the scam, but that Podesta, as owner of White Waves Beach House, cannot lay a charge as she is not an “affected party,” explained Capt Adriana Chandler, spokesperson of Table View Police Station.
Podesta explained that she became aware of the apparent scamming during winter last year after she received a call from a client who paid for accommodation through the alleged scammer who operates as the owner of Blouberg Beach Guest House.
Although the actions of the alleged scammer has not directly affected Podesta’s business, due to ongoing bookings on Booking.com and other reputable booking sites, Podesta said she still “feels sorry” for the individuals that fell victim to the scam.
According to Podesta, Govender advertised the guesthouse on a private Facebook group where he showcased pictures of White Waves Beach House and advertised it as Blouberg Beach Guest House, also advertising accommodation for R1 000 per night, where White Waves Beach House’s fees are more.
Podesta has since been blocked and is not able to warn the public against the scam, as she had regularly done in the past.
Upon TygerBurger’s investigation, the Facebook group currently cannot be found, and may have been deleted or changed according to Podesta.
“[Govender] is always one step ahead,” warned Podesta.
Podesta’s advice to the public is to only book accomodation on reputable sites, or by emailing whitewaves@beachhouse.com.
If you are a guesthouse owner in the Bloubergstrand area targeted by the fraudulent actions of alleged scammer Deon Govender, please contact us.
