Thefts, robberies, hijackings, domestic violence and even scams are some of the many crimes that residents in the Laudium/Erasmia are often faced with.
This follows a scam whereby a Pakistani businessman lost huge amounts of money, when three fellow Pakistani nationals who acted under false pretences, received goods and then sent a fake ‘proof of payment’ notice via SMS, as if it was from the bank. The scam which took place the previous Wednesday has infuriated the owner of QA Cellular, situated at Ebrahim Centre on Bengal Str, Laudium, more so as he trusted the trio whom he had done business with before. It was only day after the goods worth around R60,000 left the premises that the owner realised the ‘proof of EFT payment’ was in fact fake.
Asgal Ali, the owner of QA Cellular, told Laudium Sun, “These three Pakistani nationals, who do business in the North West, came to my shop and wanted to buy electronic products. I had done business with them before, but I had never given them credit. So this time they said that they do not have cash and will make immediate payment via EFT when they reach home. I actually preferred payment via EFT. Because of all the robberies it is better not to be paid in cash and I thought a few hours would not make any difference, so I agreed. It was late on Wednesday afternoon at around 5pm, when I gave them the goods as I trusted that they would make the payment. Before they left, I asked them to send me the proof of the EFT by the end of the day. They were only too willing to comply and I did not doubt them. After my guys helped them load the electronic goods on to their vehicle they left. Later that evening I received a notice via SMS, seemingly from my bank stating that an amount of R57,000 was credited to my account. Thus I accepted that these three guys kept to their word and the money was in my bank account. I did not check my bank account as I did not feel it necessary because I thought that I received the SMS from my bank. At no stage did I suspect that the ‘proof’ was a fake. However, when I checked my bank account the next day, I was surprised that the payment was not reflecting in my account. I checked with my bank and was told that there was definitely no payment made. I then called these three guys and none of them answered their phones. I tried for a few days thinking that they may have been busy and perhaps the monies would by then be reflecting in my bank account, but there was no response from them and the monies were still not reflecting in my account. When I showed the SMS ‘proof of payment’ to my bank they told me that the SMS was a fake. I was shocked as I could not believe that I was actually scammed by these three Pakistanis who spoke so nicely to me, convincing me that they were not thieves and would pay what was owed. I have registered a case against the three with the police and I hope that they will sit in jail for the fraud they committed. I cannot understand how these Pakistanis can scam people, more so even their own people. I later heard from a friend that many of these scammers operate by first buying goods for cash from a wholesaler and then again they buy and pay for the goods in cash, so after that they are known to the supplier. That is when they scam the supplier by asking for a few hours to pay, like as soon as they get back to their shop or home, just like in my case, as I did not mind waiting a few hours for my money. Nowadays, when we talk about crime, it’s not only about Black Africans. Our own Pakistani people are getting involved in the crime business. This creates a really bad reputation for Pakistanis, and it must stop. We come from far to do honest business in this country, not to commit crime.”
Mohammed Ameer, another shopkeeper also a Pakistani national, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the scamming incident, and I didn’t believe it at first. How can Pakistani people harm anyone let alone their own people? This is really bad, and it must stop. The guys took goods worth R57,000, and instead of sending proof of payment of an EFT, they sent a fake EFT. Asgal from QA Cellular trusted them, but what they gave him in return was full betrayal. This is really bad, and it must stop.”
Assan Iqbal, one of the workers at QA Cellular, told Laudium Sun, “The guys who stole R57,000 worth of electronic goods..we will find out who they are, and the police must take the necessary action. They’re not from Pretoria. They came to buy goods, but once we catch them, they won’t go anywhere. They will rot in jail forever.”
