The Star

Grandmother loses Sassa grant money to bogus cops

Monique Duval|Published

Elizabeth van der Horst Photo: Monique Duval/Daily Voice Elizabeth van der Horst Photo: Monique Duval/Daily Voice

Cape Town – A Delft grandmother has been left penniless for Christmas after fake cops scammed her out of her Sassa money at a local mall.

Elizabeth van der Horst, 59, says she is still in shock after the bogus detectives took her to the back of the mall and took her disability grant after accusing her of a crime.

Elizabeth says last Thursday morning she went to Shoprite at Delft Mall to draw her welfare money and to shop for her family when she was approached by a man with an envelope full of money.

“He came to me and told me he picked up the money and I told him it’s his geluk (luck) because the pension money we get is very little,” she says.

“He told me he wanted to go count it and he said I must go with him and he will give me half. I said no, but he asked me to walk with him and so I agreed.”

However, she got a huge fright when a white Toyota pulled up with two “detectives” inside.

“They told me they saw me with him on the cameras and made me get in the car.

“I told them I was not with him and had my own money and they asked to see it. When I got back to Shoprite, I opened the envelope and saw it was full of cut-up newspapers.”

Elizabeth reported the matter at Delft police station, but her relatives say cops were lax and they went to the mall themselves to view the CCTV footage, in which the man can be clearly identified, but now they are waiting on police to take action.

“It’s not right, they took all my grant money saying they were cops. Now we must rely on my husband’s grant money and it’s Christmas,” a heartsore Elizabeth says.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana confirmed police are investigating a robbery case and urged people to remain vigilant and report such incidents to police immediately.

They allegedly followed shoppers from ATMs and banks and then approached them by dropping money and asking them to pick it up.

If the person takes the money, they claim to be police officers and tell the shopper they are being arrested.

The shopper is then taken to a secluded part of the mall or outside where they “check” the money and stealthily swop the shopper’s own money with a brown envelope full of cut-up newspapers.

Daily Voice