Crimewatch: 'Customs' conman

In the latest incident we know about, he called our listener, greeted her by name and said he met her at a relative's wedding a few months back where she said he should call if he got any good work deals of auction items. He called himself Reuben in this instance and he mentioned an iPad air, a Samsung Galaxy and TVs. He gives you banking details for a B Govender and says you can collect the items from the Engen Garage next to the Customs Office on Victoria Embankment. But hurry, he says, they're going to go fast. He basically talks a  good talk and appeals to our desire for a bargain. Don't fall for it.

Shane's parents - both in their eighties - had a cold call from guys claiming to be selling a device that would reduce their electricity bills. They arrived at their Umbilo home at 7pm on a week night. After chatting to them and selling them the benefits of the heater, they produced a mobile card machine - got them to swipe and put their code in for an amount of R169 - but in this instance actually keyed in R10 000 apparently. They said they'd return to install the device but were never seen again. Despicable really.

Lorraine's company's double cab bakkie with canopy was stolen from their premises on Stamfordhill Road on Thursday at 5:30am. The suspects had somehow managed to open their electric gate without removing it from the hinges. She says she heard of another white bakkie with a canopy that was stolen in the Windermere area later that same day.

A Toyota Tazz Hatchback was stolen in under 10 minutes from the Malvern Park Checkers last Thursday evening.

A man who claimed to be an ADT Security technician has been arrested in Brookdale, Phoenix. He's been charged with fraud and misrepresentation. It's a valuable lesson to always insist on proper identification from any stranger arriving at your property, no matter what they claim their business is. And to check with the company concerned that they did despatch this person.