Conmen dupe chicken sellers

low density suburbs in an unregistered white Toyota Ipsum duping unsuspecting residents selling chicken, eggs, sugar and other commodities at their homes or on street corners.
Due to the harsh economic conditions some people are into informal trading at their premises to make ends meet through chicken rearing and vending.
The crafty conmen are now taking advantage of this by quickly using big counterfeit notes and by the time the unsuspecting residents look for change inside, the conmen quickly drive off, with the commodities.
They use US$20, US$50 and US$100 notes and target houses where there are signs advertising sale of chickens and eggs and women who sell goods along streets in residential areas.
If one is selling live chickens, they would want them dressed first promising to come and collect them later after paying the money and collecting the change.
Most residents sell chickens for between US$5 and US$6, each. They pay the “money” and demand the change and never return.
Hatfield, Cranborne, Queensdale, Braeside, Mabelreign, Goodhope, Westgate and Avondale have fallen prey to the conmen.
At Goodhope, one of the victims, Mr Tongai Dikito said he was approached on Monday by two youngmen driving an unregistered white Ipsum motor vehicle asking for two chickens.
“They produced a US$50 note and promised to come later and collect the chickens after they had been dressed. I gave them US$40 change and that was the last I saw of them.”
Mr Dikito said he realised later that the US$50 he had been given was fake.
“This is a big loss to me if I think of how much I have spent on stockfeed.
“This means I have lost eight chickens to these conmen.”
Another resident from the same suburb who refused to be named said he was given a US$50 note for three chickens and gave change to these conmen only to realise later that the money was fake.
In Hatfield, Mrs Mavis Mukandire said she was approached by the men who parked their car at the gate and gave her US$100 for three birds, since they had important visitors.
“They looked very much in hurry to go and told me that they stayed four streets away and that they would come back for their change.
“I took their vehicle number so that I could remember them when they returned to collect their change.
“I gave them the chickens but they never returned, meanwhile my husband later came home and gave me change but they did not come back for it.
“We only discovered that the money was fake when my husband went to Spar Supermarket to buy groceries in the evening.
“We then realised that this was the reason why they had not returned.
“They never returned and my husband contacted Central Vehicle Registry with the numbers only to be told that they were for an old model Zesa lorry.
“Further investigations showed that the lorry has been out of the road for six years,” she said.
The same tactic, has been used again and again in many suburbs.
Some women vegetable vendors have also fallen prey to the conmen.
Police were not immediately available for comment.
There have been reports in the past about fake rand and United States dollars circulating in the country resulting in some retail outlets and other businesses refusing to accept higher denominations.
Several retail outlets and members of the public have found themselves loaded with “cash” after falling prey to conmen.
Police have always called on business people to be alert and acquire fake currency detectors. They have also called on members of the public to familiarise themselves with features of the genuine notes which are being used in the country.
Those found with counterfeit notes are charged with fraud.