Johannesburg- A woman has recently shared how she became a victim of what appears to be a crime syndicate, at the Mall of Africa in Midrand.
Ayabulela Mahleza took to social media to share her story of how she lost her valuables in the past week.
“Anyway, here is a detailed thread of what happened to me so that others too can be warned. I was at Mall of Africa shopping on Thursday 23 September 2021. My cellphone was in my hand the entire time until I needed to look for a specific item inside the store,” she wrote.
Anyway, here is a detailed thread of what happened to me so that others too can be warned.
I was at Mall of Africa shopping on Thursday 23 September 2021. My cellphone was in my hand the entire time until, I needed to look for a specific item inside the store.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
Ayabulela put her cellphone in her handbag, closed it, and looked for the item. She then got the item and walked to the till to pay.
“As I was walking towards the pay point, someone else’s iPhone rang in the store, so I thought it was mine and reached for it in my bag, but I could not find it.”
Ayabulela was carrying a small crossbody bag and when she looked in the trolley, it was not there, so she took out items thinking maybe it fell in there.
“At this point, it was shock and denial, because my phone was gone. I immediately asked the person who’s iPhone rang to call my phone, it rings and there’s no answer. I went to the closest ATM to block my card and then ran off to iStore so they can help me find my iPhone. We logged into my cloud and found my iPhone had already been disabled.”
At this point it clicks to me that my phone is really gone and I proceed to find means to get an Uber and go home and to the SAPS. My friend Asisipho gets me an Uber home and I change, put all the groceries and stuff I had and went to the SAPS.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
So I open a case of theft and they ask for necessary details, I call my family back home to assist since my cellphone box and everything was there. They help me and I open the case. The officer helping tells me there's a whole syndicate at Mall of Africa. It's women who do this.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
They travel in groups of 3-5, they work with certain people inside the mall and they target you, especially when they see you are alone. They take cellphones, bags, sometimes cars and anything else really. This is their 9-5 and there's at least 1 caught every week.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
Anyway, I go back home and sleep because I have a flight to catch at 06:15 on Friday morning to PE for my sister's wedding. I land in PE and my mom advises I go to the bank to make a new card because I will need money over the weekend. I get to the bank and they do so.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
The consultant assisting me says but there's no money in your account. I tell him there is because I had money in my account, I had some savings and I got paid so my salary had reflected on Thursday evening. He shows me the accounts have been cleaned out. Literally R0. 00 on all.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
I'm in disbelief at this point because there's no way. He tells me all the money was transferred using my banking app, into another account that was opened on the same Thursday, then withdraw at an Atm at Mall of Africa still.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
Anyway, long story short I was left without money and without a phone. The bank is still investigating and as much as there's a possibility they will refund it, it will not be any time soon because there's a case involved, SAPS, the bank needs to conduct their own investigation.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
It's a long and tedious process, but the long and the short that is what happened. That is how fast they were able to unlock my phone, disable find my iPhone, wipe my cloud, get into my banking app, transfer all my money and withdraw it.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
Criminals are clever and they are getting better with technology each day. I just wrote this thread to warn you guys, I don't know how you can be careful, but please be careful because I don't wish what happened to me even on my worst enemy.
— AUNTY LALA (@__Ayabulela) September 29, 2021
Ayabulela also shared that there were people in the store, passing and shopping the same way she was.
“These people were either following me or were watching me in the shop as their next target the entire time. It must have been taken when people were passing by in the isle I was in also shopping.”
“Anyway, this was a thread to warn people of such syndicates happening at these big malls. It happens at Sandton City, Menlyn, Rosebank, and all these other malls. Criminals are extremely advanced with technology. They don’t work alone.”
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