Criminals often gain access to private properties by pretending to be someone else, so homeowners should always be careful about who they allow through their gate.
Suburbs across South Africa have their own versions of such imposters but often they pretend to be service providers, says Charnel Hattingh, head of marketing and communications at Fidelity ADT.
Read the latest Property360 digital magazine below
“These include pretending to be someone chopping down a neighbour’s overgrown trees, a municipal water meter reader, a technician installing fibre or a satellite dish, and even fake police officers or armed-response security officers.”
And as more people are working from home they are “stepping up their efforts” as they know someone is there to open the door. The key, says Hattingh, is to always verify the identity of anyone trying to gain access to your home, and if there is any doubt, to not open the door for them.
She also recommends keeping the contact details for the closest police station and the neighbourhood watch on standby, so that you can call them if there is any concern about someone trying to get access to your property.