RESIDENTS of Ward 41 have been warned to be on the lookout for con artists who are in residents’ social media groups where they target their victims by offering “too good to be true” deals involving the selling of foreign currency before defrauding victims of their money.
Suburban Reporter
A security alert on the Ward 41 residents WhatsApp group posted by a resident Mrs Kudzai Kadzombe warned fellow community members against the con artists who are in community groups and pretend to be seeking to sell foreign currency giving almost “too good to be true” rates and opportunities.
“They hack your WhatsApp by sending a message like this: ‘Hello, l’m sorry, I sent you a 6-digit code by SMS by mistake, can you pass it to me?
“It’s urgent. Once they have diverted your WhatsApp they then use your number to contact friends, relatives, business partners, clients and social groups you are in saying they have USD and need RTGS and for you to send it to a certain number and they will do the deal confident that they are dealing with you.
“If you try to call your number, it will not go through and all communications will be done via WhatsApp call and WhatsApp text.
“The moment you send the money, they will instantly block you,” read the security alert.
The residents were also warned about a bank scam which the criminals were using to steal money from unsuspecting victims.
“There is another bank scam that they are running that you will receive an official message from your bank saying that they are doing a system upgrade and a technical assistant will call you, shortly after that they will call and ask you for a verification code that has been sent to your phone from a number that will be showing in your phone that it’s from your bank, the moment you tell them the code you received they wipe your account clean.
“Technology is good, but it comes with so many security risks and residents need to be vigilant even when selling their wares, or buying from people you do not know online, contracting any services such as landscaping, plumbing or water delivery.
“We tend to trust people because they are in the same community /church group, but you never know who is behind that number and what their intentions are in the group.
“As a community it would be in our best interest to create a skills and service database for all locals offering different services to protect ourselves while at the same time supporting each other’s business.
“We could call it Ward 41 classifieds and together with neighbourhood watch committees and the ZRP assist on vetting and referrals.
“Please inbox me if you support the idea or have any suggestions as to how we can come up with the classified ads I have sent a sample of one that I took off the internet,” said Mrs Kadzombe, a former Ward 41 Councillor.