Increasing crime trend on SA houses with water knives

Homeowners with water meters should be on the alarm.

According to Businesstech, Fidelity ADT has issued a warning after reports from criminals have arisen who pretend to be water officials for fraud.

In Johannesburg, especially in Craighall Park and in the nearby areas, Fidelity Adt has found an increase in fraudsters to houses with water meters.

According to Fidelity's report, a non -marked vehicle drives to a house, and individuals start digging around the water knife.

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The fraudsters then contact the homeowner and called for an immediate down payment to their account in order to prevent them from removing the measuring device.

If the payment is not made, the homeowner remains without water knives – and without water.

Charnel Hattingh, group leader marketing and communication at Fidelity ADT, explains that these criminals may work together with insiders.

Hattingh warns that this is very difficult to see whether they are legitimate employees.

“These criminals seem to have access to return information and put them under pressure to put their victims under pressure,” she said.

This fraud is part of a larger trend.

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Criminals are increasingly pretending to be a municipalist or maintenance entrepreneur in order to get people to hand over money or to give them access to their houses.

“We see more and more cases in which criminals pretend to be local workers or maintenance companies. They create an urgent situation to make homeowners make payments or give them access to real estate.”

Hattingh added that such frauds are not new, the way they are carried out further.

Fidelity ADT shared the following advice to protect itself:

• Check the login information: Always check the registration information by official identification and contact the company directly when someone claims to come from Johannesburg Water or another service provider.
• Avoid immediate payments: Do not approach payments on the DAWER; Legitimate city affiliates do not request immediate bank transfers or cash.
• Make yourself careful before unannounced visits: Be careful with unexpected visits and treat an unannounced service with suspicion.
• Report suspicious activities: Report suspicious behavior, especially if you find that people near water teeth or strangely to your security provider or the local authorities.
• Keep a panic button: Keep a remote panic button nearby, as Fidelity ADT recommends making security services quickly if necessary.

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Pictures: African news agency