Fake Hout Bay letter doing the rounds promising pounds

Several residents have reported that a suspicious letter, believed to be a scam, is now doing the rounds in Hout Bay.

Residents reported that the same letter had been found in various parts of Hout Bay, but more disturbing is that some of the letters had the residential address and details of the residents.

Hout Bay resident Chevon, who withheld her surname for safety reasons, contacted Sentinel News last week to report the suspicious letter.

"Believe it or not, people fall for these things as letters like these will land up on a doorstep where somebody is in real need or needs help," she said.

Chevon reported that five other residents on her road received the same letter.

"It's scary to think that somebody looking to do harm in your life is actually moving around looking for victims. It's that time of the year, and people do silly things," Chevon said.

"When you look at the ridiculous amount of money they promise you just to help them out, that alone is a red flag."

A letter that seemed suspicious was delivered to people’s mailboxes. Some residents who were worried about it shared pictures or information about the letter on social media. Many people who saw these posts believed the letter was a scam because similar letters had appeared in other areas before.

The letter, with the subject line, "Inheritance Claim Opportunity", speaks of a "Barrister Akin Williams", who claims to be representing a client who had been involved in a motor vehicle accident in the United Kingdom, with the claim totaling over 10 million pounds. 

However, the company doing the claim likely requires a "next of kin" in order to complete the application process, promising 50% of the claim to the person who agrees.

Back in 2018, Oscar Mlambi from Imizamo Yethu, who also came across the suspicious letter, said he was involved in a similar scam, involving a huge sum of money.

According to Mr Mlambi, the scammers are only after your details and would have to make the story sound as if you are "about to change your life".

"I went ahead and emailed them, they called me on WhatsApp, and we exchanged details, and later on, I signed another document which allowed them to open up accounts and also take loans out in my name," he said.

He was fortunate to have it remedied in the beginning after reporting the company and individuals, but soon after, they were missing.

"The number was not in use, the email could not be tracked, and they were just gone. I managed to sort those accounts after lengthy back-and-forth meetings. But this is now the time to try and get people, so they have to be more careful," Mr Mlambi said.

Ward councillor Roberto Quintas urged residents to take the fraudulent letters to Hout Bay police and have cases opened for attempted fraud.

"The letter appears highly suspicious," he said.

Mr Quintas advised residents not to respond to any suspicious emails, letters, WhatsApps, or SMS’s without performing "due diligence, such as Googling the author or company."

"Should it appear that the letter seems fraudulent and some sort of con, the letter must be taken to the Hout Bay SAPS, as a case of attempted fraud must be opened," he said.

He said the more case numbers at SAPS will increase the pressure to investigate and possibly bring crooks to book.