Marian Ferguson (right) has issued a warning to other business owners. Photos: Facebook

A smooth operator that cons shop-owners out of money has struck again. The woman, who is described as “very large” and approximately 31 years old, recently conned Fergie’s Pub & Restaurant in Table View out of R3900.

The owner of Fergie’s Pub, Marian Ferguson, was not at the pub on the 26th of September when the woman struck. Both the pub’s day and night managers were there and were taken in by the woman’s conmanship.

What a con
Marian tells Melkbos.net that the woman made as if she was talking to her on the phone. “She held the phone to her ear and said, ‘Thank you, Marian, thank you for being helpful.’ My name is all over the shop,” Marian says trying to make sense of what happened.

Fergie’s Pub & Restaurant. Photo: Google

Gift cards
She adds ruefully, “We all are quite gullible. She had three R2000 gift cards from Checkers that she needed to cash. She supposedly knew me well and urgently needed to cash R3900. My manager then paid her out of the safe and she left the cards for me. Needless to say there was no money on the cards.

Security camera showed blank footage
Strangely enough the CCTV camera showed only blank footage for the duration that the woman was in the shop. The camera came on again, some time later. “I don’t know what the hell happened to the video,” Marian says. The manager who paid the woman “has insisted on giving me the money back. He’s an honest genuine person and he’s out of pocket now,” Marian says.

When Marian posted a report of what happened on Table View Neighbourhood Watch quite a few shop-owners responded that they know of the woman and that she has tried her luck with them. Bruce Tait reported that the woman has tried to do the same at his antique shop in Kloof Street and that he wished for “this fat skelm cow” to be caught.