At least seven people have been ripped-off by a doctor who claims to own a home in Rigel Avenue, Waterkloof and has offered to let it out on condition that the R6k deposit is paid immediately. Now he has vanished and angry prospective tenants are trying to track him down.
One alleged victim, Pretty van Jaarsveld has even opened a fraud charge against the doctor but police officials at the Brooklyn Police Station told her that she was “number six or seven in the line”.
The prospective tenants had responded to an advertisement published in Junk Mail that was offering a “beautiful property” for immediate rental. The advertiser, Dr De Wet, claimed to live in Musina and insisted that before the people could gain access to the property they would have to pay him a security deposit of R6k.
He spoke to the seven people at different times as they responded to his advertisement and each one of them agreed to pay the R6k security deposit he had demanded.
One of the couples, the Van Jaarsvelds, wanted to meet De Wet – having paid him the deposit – and he agreed to do so but when the Van Jaarsveld couple arrived they found several other tenants there and no sign of any Dr De Wet anyway.
They rang the doorbell to the property in the hope of gaining access to it but were greeted by a woman who was accompanied by a large and vicious-looking dog who refused to let them in and denied knowing a Dr De Wet.
The Van Jaarsvelds, desperate to get their deposit back, tried to trace Dr De Wet in Musina but to no avail. Meanwhile the gardener at the property claims that at least 11 people have been trying to rent the house or to view it.
A police officer at the Brooklyn Police Station has confirmed that a number of cases have been opened and that they are now investigating the matter. As the victims all paid money into the man’s bank account they believe that it will be a matter of time before he can be traced.
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