A concerning trend has emerged in Gqeberha, where a group of well-dressed con artists has been preying on unsuspecting tourists. Dressed in black suits and adorned with badges featuring the South African flag, these “card scammers” present themselves as authoritative figures to unsuspecting tourists.
In the latest of these incidents, former broadcaster John Robbie tweeted his experience on Monday and warned his followers who may hire a car at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha to be vigilant.
“If you hire a car at Gqeberha airport beware! Soon after we did, a VW Golf cut us off and two guys got out in suits with radios and badges, told us they had to activate an e-toll transponder at an ATM. We called out the scam they got aggressive and threatened to arrest me!
“They obviously had observed us at the car hire company and thought we were foreign tourists and when we told them this was a clear scam they cleared off. We have reported this but beware,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
While this may seem like an isolated incident, Eastern Cape police said Humewood police station has had a few cases reported with a similar modus operandi.
“In all the cases, the perpetrators were wearing black suits with a badge around their neck with a picture of a South African flag. They would then inform the driver of the vehicle that they need to pay for using the road,” said police spokesperson Capt Sandra Janse van Rensburg.
She said the scammers would lure the victims to areas where they would ask their victims to insert their bank cards into a machine which then would swallow the card. They would then disappear.
She added they target tourists visiting Ggeberha around the area of Summerstrand.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) confirmed that it was aware of the incidents and was working closely with the police crime intelligence on the matter.
“As such we urge the affected persons to report the matter directly to SAPS. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority, and we urge all travellers to always remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings,” said Acsa.
It added that Acsa security has advised the airport car rental companies to inform clients to watch out for such incidents and to be extra vigilant.
A ward councillor in Gqeberha, Sean Tappan, said they have been fighting against what they call the “card scammer gang” — groups of people who seem to hire vehicles and interchange their number plates. They operate as far as Sundays River then make their way to Gqeberha.
“Basically, they are well-dressed gentlemen, some of them with suits, security signages around their necks and they try to con foreign tourists to either pay for parking or for being in an area."
“We have had some success in catching them. We are monitoring them through a number of operations with private security, metro police and SAPS,” he said.
His advice to tourists was if they are approached by these men, they should not divulge their bank card details.
“Be very careful when you leave a car hire company, especially at the airport, to ensure that you are not followed.
He said the men target their victims at guest houses and fuel stations, while some also operate at shopping centres.
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