A huge sigh of despair.
This was most likely the immediate reaction on Thursday morning by those reading The Herald’s front page story, Elaborate scam swindles tourists in Nelson Mandela Bay.
This reaction was probably followed by a range of emotions, including anger and embarrassment, shared by those of us living in the Bay.
The Herald reported this week that four suspects appeared in the Gqeberha magistrate’s court on Wednesday on charges including fraud, theft and money laundering.
It is alleged they fleeced tourists from Australia to Japan out of hundreds of thousands of rand in just 18 days.
Most of the alleged offences occurred in tourist hotspots in Gqeberha, including Summerstrand and at The Donkin Reserve, between October 1 and 18.
The slick scam saw alleged syndicate members — posing as security guards — approach tourists, telling them they needed to pay for parking.
The unsuspecting victims were then led to a “pay point” where they were assisted to tap their cards and enter their pin numbers.
Their cards were then allegedly tapped multiple times for payments of tens of thousands of rand until the payments would eventually bounce.
The pin numbers were also entered into a calculator disguised as a mobile pay point so that the accused could save them for possible future use.
The complainants only became aware that they had been duped later on.
While scamsters had tried to defraud the tourists out of more than R850,000 in 33 transactions, they only managed to steal about R320,000 as some of the transactions were declined.
About a dozen tourists were directly affected, but the potential harm this could cause to tourism in our region if the news spread globally is huge.
The Bay and surrounds — with its diversity of attractions, including a scenic coastline and golden beaches, historic townships, a blend of urban and natural attractions and friendly locals — is a destination with so much potential.
As such, tourism is a driver of the local economy, with everyone from beachfront B&Bs and hotels to township tour guides benefiting.
For this reason, and without detracting from the need to ensure it is also safe for residents, every effort must be made to ensure it is an appealing destination for both local and international travellers.
It will take concerted effort from across the board to do this, but it can be done.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.