[imagesource: Facebook / Where’s the Kumars?]
Most humans are good people, so when you see a car broken down, and people in need of assistance, the first impulse is to help.
However, sometimes things aren’t always as they seem, and for years a family has been working their way around Cape Town and taking advantage of the kindness of strangers.
They’ve been dubbed the Kumars, and now a Facebook group tracking their movements has sprung up, sharing details of where they’re running their latest scam.
Reports first emerged way back in 2016, when IOL warned Capetonians “to be on the lookout for an infamous gang of professional beggars whose modus operandi involves pretending to have broken down on the side of the road and then flagging down passing motorists for petrol money”.
One person recounted their interaction with the family;
“The story goes along the lines of: ‘We are from Durban on holiday and have never been to Cape Town before and our car has broken down. We have been told that it is the petrol pump (or other engine part) that needs replacing – once this is repaired, we will be able to return to Durban. As we don’t just want to take your money, we will give you some of our curry spices from Durban’.”
A case of assault was filed against two men in March 2016, after they “had sworn at, threatened and assaulted” a security guard working at Noordhoek’s Longbeach Mall.
Two weeks later, a number of readers shared their experiences of dealing with ‘the Kumars’, and the chairman of the Muizenberg Community Safety Initiative said that there were four men and three women in on the con, in total.
Despite those run-ins with the law, the family continue to operate, using the same modus operandi, as detailed on the Facebook group.
Yesterday, they were spotted in Sea Point, as well as Hof Street, Oranjezicht, with recent sightings in Durbanville, Woodstock, and as far afield as Stellenbosch and Langebaan.
Whilst those less fortunate, who are forced to beg on the street in order to survive, deserve both the right to decent living conditions and our sympathy, this is clearly not the case with this scam.
On the same Facebook page, many have detailed how their interactions with the scammers have turned aggressive, or nasty, whilst others have vented about how elaborate the stories they spin are.
Those who regularly see the family around have said that once the police have been called, the broken down cars “magically repair themselves” and off they drive.
Just something to be aware of next time, so you don’t fall victim to one of the city’s longest-running scams.
