Scam caller threatens pensioner

Durban - A Hillcrest pensioner has been the recipient of a nasty scam phone call in which the caller threatened her with “another Waterfall attack” unless she bought him R100 airtime.

Ann Karkeek, 78, said the calls started on Tuesday.

The caller, phoning from a cellphone, miss-called her throughout the day. Karkeek phoned back. The man who answered demanded she load R100 airtime for him. He said that unless she did so, there would be another attack in the Waterfall area.

“I don’t know if he meant there would be an attack against me and that I would be another statistic, or whether he meant another attack in the area. But I told him I did not have money for airtime.”

The following day the man continued with his demands. Eventually, she found out that the caller was in Westville Prison.

Shaken, Karkeek went to the Hillcrest police station. After speaking to the caller an officer told Karkeek she should just buy him airtime. “They were not interested in even opening a case.”

Karkeek said she was wary as she had been attacked before.

On Thursday, police spokesman Thulani Zwane said

: “We appeal to people to report these incidents so that the police can investigate and trace the perpetrators.”

He said police would follow up the allegation that an officer had told her to buy the airtime.

The Mercury