'Sob story conman' alert

Over the years we’ve had reports of all sorts of con-artists trying to get you to part with your money by telling you a sob story. Someone in need tells their story just once, during an emergency, but these guys frequent certain locations and always seem to break down – or whatever – at the same spot. Steven believes he came across one such conman recently in the parking lot of a Glenwood hospital. The guy, who calls himself Lionel, says he was just hijacked and needs money for petrol and the toll road. Steven fell for his story but the car guards there told him the next day he was a conman. He’s since seen him in other parking lots.  He drives a sporty white car with a red roof.

If you receive an SMS indicating there’s a problem with your bank account and saying that a "consultant" will contact you soon, please ignore this and do not speak to the caller. Apparently when the "consultant" calls they try to confirm your banking details and then ask what kind of cellphone you use. The fraudster then apparently contacts your service provider and tries to perform a SIM swap. They’re apparently then able to receive one time passwords and/or Random Verification Numbers from your bank and have access to your bank account.

Finally, the bilker we mentioned in Thursdays show, who’d ripped off a guest house in the Overport area, has since been arrested.

E-mail your alerts to [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook.