Residents reminded to ‘beware imposters and scammers’

By: Intasure | 29 January 2021 Share:
Residents of the southern suburbs of Cape Town have been reminded to be careful about potential scams and imposters. The warning comes after an attempted scam that was reported by a Constantia resident earlier this week.

“My wife received a call from someone claiming to be from an armed response company, asking that she meets her mother at a remote location where her car had apparently broken down. However my wife quickly became suspicious as her mother lives abroad; and when she asked the caller for her mother’s name the call was immediately disconnected,” says the resident (who asked not to be named).

Jade Hanning, the Cape Town south district manager at Fidelity ADT, says criminal elements and imposters are always looking for opportunities to strike.

“The names of companies that operate in the service industry are often used by prospective scammers. You read stories of criminals pretending to be water inspectors for municipalities, technicians coming to check your satellite TV dish, or even pretending to be a call centre operator or a technician for your armed response company,” says Hanning.

The key, he says, is to always verify the identity of anyone that makes contact with you or is trying to gain access to your property. If there is any doubt, hang up the phone or don’t open the door for them.

“When it comes to our teams – it is important for residents to remember that Fidelity ADT technicians always work on an appointment basis. It means that no one will show up at your door unannounced, asking to inspect your home security system. Our technicians and our armed response officers also always carry very visible identification.

“Contact our call centre team on 086 12 12 300 if you want to verify any of our team members’ identity or the authenticity of any phone call you receive. Make sure your children and anyone that works on your property know to never open the door for anyone unless they have a verified reason to be there,” says Hanning.

Article with thanks to Brendon Berry 
Fidelity ADT Community Development Manager

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