Thank you Andrew, Think this info from Rosebank NHW is quite relevant and criminals including conmen move around our respective suburbs. There has been numerous conmen before including a Cohen - if I remember well - who I recognised from having tried his luck in Mowbray / Rondebosch area, same storey being locked out needing to phone and some money. Well spoken nearly likeable.
Best, Frank On 25 May 2011 15:57, Andrew Fife <[email protected]> wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Rosebank Neighbourhood Watch > > > May 25, 2011 2:37 pm > > Newsflash 2011 / > 058<http://rnw.contextsolutions.co.za/content/2011/05/25/newsflash-2011-058/> > 1. > ERIC > > [image: > conman]<http://rnw.contextsolutions.co.za/content/files/2011/05/conman.jpg>I > received the following from RCID re “Eric” who has now moved to their area. > (Glebe Rd - today) > I am also attaching a photo received from Obswatch of a conman who may or > may not be our conman. Unfortunately, the resident who was conned by the > “Telkom man” last week, is away, so is unable to identify him as yet. > However, students who were visited 3 times, have identified him as the man > who called twice - once as the “Telkom man” > 1. Is it probably safe to say that “Eric” could be 2 or more individuals > working together. > 2. The “I have been sent to cut the trees by the neighbour” seems to be a > usual story. > 3. “Please could you get me an extension cord” seems to be the next ploy. > It is at this > stage that cellphones etc go missing. > 4. It often seems that should he not be successful at point 3, he then > returns. > 5. He is also described as ‘extremely persistent.” > 6. He sometimes comes by car (various) and sometimes as a passenger of > said car. > From the resident: > > Just wanted to let you know how stupid I was this morning…..let it be a > warning! > I answered the intercom and this guy said he was Eric, the neighbour’s > gardener, and the lady had asked him to come and show me where he needed to > cut the hedge between us. I just presumed he was the gardener from next door > who I know. I buzzed him in, but my friend who was visiting (luckily!!) told > me that this is a common ploy to get access and warned me to be careful! > > As he came up the path, I saw that he was not from next door and so asked > him which house he was from and he said “at the back”.I asked him, while > closing the front door, to go back out the front gate and around by the road > to the back and talk to me at the wall. Then I quickly closed the front door > and went to the back - our back garden/driveway is separate - but he didn’t > appear at that gate/wall. > > My friend then called me to say he was still banging on the front door. He > said he wanted to come in and show me. > > By this time I was getting worried, so I asked him (through the closed door > this time!) to leave and also who he worked for. He said he worked for the > Hendriksons…and we have no neighbours near us with that name. Eventually he > left (as far as I could see through the peep hole) and I heard the front > gate close, but was not sure if he may still be in the garden. > > I called ADT to come and check things out, and they of course confirmed > that he is a suspect…very well-spoken and clever, and he also seems to know > lots of the actual names of people in the area. > > Close call! ? > > Apparently you have warned people about this modus operandi before…I > obviously did not read/remember it! > I should obviously not have let him in and should have asked him to get the > neighbours to come over/call me! > Amazing how one can be so security conscious and then have a totally > trusting/naive moment like this!? … > > DESCRIPTION : > > He is a WELL DRESSED , MIDDLE AGED BLACK MALE. > > SAPS and ADT have been informed, but we require residents to be ultra > vigilant and to call the their relevant SAPS Sector Van/Station or ADT. > 2. CPF Report - Jonathan Hobday > > “Police are asking members of the community to be on the lookout for a > smooth-talking, well-dressed con-man, who carries a “tool-bag” and purports > to be doing work “next door” but requires his victim to plug in an electric > cord extension. While the unsuspecting resident is plugging in the cable, he > helps himself to valuables which he puts in his “tool-bag” before he > escapes. > This may be the same con-man who is going around the neighbourhood posing > as a Telkom technician. > There have been at least four reported cases apparently involving this > trick and there have been similar incidents in other areas in the cluster > area. > Also back in the area is the so-called “Plasma Gang” who go around in a > dark-coloured car looking for places with plasma TV screens they can lift. > The good news is that the “Clio Gang”, a group of three men in a black > Clio, who perpetrated several crimes throughout the Peninsula area > (including our area), has been arrested. They specialised in house > robberies. > Police have also noted that there has been a trend in the cluster towards > house robberies and that most of these incidents occur between 8-10pm or > 4-6am and that Thursday the most likely day for a house robbery. > Crime in our precinct is generally low but statistics for the month have > been given an unfortunate boost by the rash of copper thefts, as well as the > theft of trolley-bins. > In the last week (May 16-22), the tally of reported crimes was as follows: > * Three house-breakings - in Selby Rd on Tuesday; and in Lower York and > Dagbreek Roads on Saturday; > * One attempted break-in - in Loch Road; > * Two muggings - in Victoria Road in the Mowbray CBD and on the M3 > footbridge going to UCT; > * One stolen car - in Hornsey Road; and > * Two thefts from cars - in Lower York Road and in the Red Cross Hospital > car-park. > In an effort to combat these crimes - most of which were committed during > the day - the Mowbray Police sector patrols will be intensifying > stop-and-search operations.” > 3. Copper theft > > Please report any stolen drain covers etc to > [email protected]. > > An Alma Rd resident reported one stolen on the 18th May and by the next > morning it had been replaced. Excellent service from the City of Cape > Town. Others went missing from: > > * Corner Park and Kingston (already reported) > * Around the corner in Kingston (two covers gone) > * Corner Kingston and Annerley > * Corner Campground and Thicket (two covers gone) > Copperheads toll-free number 0800 225 669 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. 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