Scam tactic targeting anyone shopping at Pick n Pay, Checkers, Woolies, and Spar making a comeback in South Africa
South Africans are being warned about a scam targeting people outside supermarkets, where someone asks for food instead of cash but allegedly exploits the transaction to get money back.
There has been a documented rise in grocery store scams across South Africa, particularly in major metros like Johannesburg and Cape Town. Fraudsters exploit shoppers’ goodwill by asking them to buy essential items.
This reemerged along Beach Road in Strand when a shopper and her partner were approached by a man working as a car guard.
“He just told us that he didn’t want some money. He just wanted a bag of rice and two cans of fish from a nearby supermarket,” she said in an interview with CapeTalk. The request appeared genuine, and the couple wanted to help.
“When I went inside the shop, he was already inside waiting with the groceries. So, of course, you pay without thinking much of it because you can only assume it would be a small amount. It’s a bag of rice and some fish.”
However, after paying, they realised they had spent around R300 on what they believed were basic food items.
The couple immediately returned to the store, where her partner allegedly saw the man return the groceries and receive cash from the supermarket.
“My partner actually witnessed the man returning the groceries to the store and receiving the cash from the supermarket. Within minutes, he was already outside telling the exact same story to a different couple.”
The shopper said this was the moment they realised the request for food had allegedly been part of a scam rather than a genuine plea for help.
She explained that many shoppers may not carefully check the payment amount because they are focused on helping someone in need.
“When you’re trying to help somebody who you think has absolutely nothing, you don’t feel like making a big fuss out of the price of a bag of rice or something. They also have their ways of hiding the card machine and distracting you.”
Donate to welfare organisations instead
When the couple confronted the store owner and requested a refund, the store owner refused, saying they could not prove the alleged scam had occurred.
The shopper said they also confronted the man, who claimed he had already taken the food home to his four sons.
The couple also reported the matter to the police but said they were told there was little that could be done.
“We went to the police, but they said, unfortunately, it’s not illegal for somebody to return goods to a store, so they couldn’t get involved.”
The incident serves as a reminder for shoppers at supermarkets such as Pick n Pay, Checkers, Woolworths, Spar, and other retailers to carefully check the amount displayed on the card machine before paying, even when purchasing groceries for someone who is requesting assistance.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) advised those with a charitable heart to donate to welfare organisations instead, since these can be trusted to put the money to good, honest use. The police discourage the public from giving money to beggars on the street.
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