Daily Sun (February 19 2015) - SLOWLY, SLOWLY, Nomsa was taken in by the scammer's tempting scheme to sell rough diamonds.
All Nomsa Ngcobo had to do, said the scammer, was to buy just one single bottle of expensive diamond cleaner.
SHE COULDN'T RESIST . . . AND PAID R4 000 FOR A BOTTLE OF VANILLA ESSENCE!
Daily Sun met sangoma Nomsa and other women sangomas from Alexandra, Joburg want to warn their colleagues about smooth-talking scammers operating in Joburg.
Nomsa told the People's Paper she was in Pan Africa Mall in Joburg when a friendly, polite young man approached her.
"He said he needed help and I gave him my number. Later he called and told me he wanted me to perform rituals on his trucks," she said
"He said he wanted his trucks to be safe from hijacking and accidents and I told him he must pay R12 000."
The man agreed and Nomsa met the man in the Joburg CBD - but there was a problem.
The man told her the trucks belonged to his boss and not to him and they should wait.
"While we were waiting he started proposing some business deals with animal skins and tails.
"He also said he sold and exchanged rough diamonds."
When the man told her how much money they could make she was very interested.
"Then he told me about the special cleaning liquid used to wash the rough diamonds," she said.
Nomsa rushed to the bank to withdraw the money and went back to town.
Nomsa said she never saw the trucks.
"We met the lady who sells the diamond cleaner," she said.
Nomsa gave the women the money and she handed over the small bottle filled with liquid and disappeared.
"Then the scammer told me the people who had the raw diamonds had left," she said.
That's when the ancestors told me I had been robbed. I called one of the scammers and told him my ancestors would chase after them for the rest of their lives."
Judith Mogashwa (65) said she lost R4 000 in 2013 through the same scam.
"They also tried to scam my daughter but I had already warned her," said Judith.
Sangoma Sarah Davids (56) from Alexandra escaped the scammers on Friday but she had already been warned by Nomsa.
Nomsa has opened a case at the Hillbrow Police Station.
Lieutenant Kay Makhubela confirmed that a case of false pretences has been registered at Hillbrow Police Station.
"The police have arrested two suspects. They will appear in court soon. Cops will investigate further," he said.
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