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⚠️ URGENT: NEW KIDNAPPING SCAM IN SOUTH AFRICA - PLEASE SHARE ⚠️* Ladies, please be careful in town, taxi ranks, malls, and parking lots. There’s a new method kidnappers are using: *How the scam works:* 1. *The approach*: A man in a car stops next to you. He calls you by a name or says “Hey, get in the car! We’ve been looking for you.” 2. If you refuse and say you don’t know him, he immediately switches tactics. He turns to people around and says loud enough for everyone to hear: _“Don’t worry guys, she’s my wife. She has amnesia / she’s mentally ill. She gets confused like this. I just need to get her home.”_ 3. *Why it works*: People don’t want to interfere in “family problems” or with someone who “has a mental illness.” So they look away. That’s exactly what he’s counting on. That’s how he gets you into the car. That’s the strategy *IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU:* - Do NOT get in the car for any reason. - Be loud and specific*: Yell “*I DO NOT KNOW THIS MAN. THIS IS KIDNAPPING. PLEASE CALL THE POLICE AND HELP ME.*” The word “KIDNAPPING” makes people react way faster than “I’m fine.” - *Draw attention*: Drop your bags, sit on the ground, scream. Make it impossible for him to look normal. - *Call for help* *AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC IF YOU SEE THIS HAPPENING:* - Don’t assume it’s domestic. Don’t walk away, help the victim. - Step in and ask the Scammer directly*: If they know the person they are trying to take, if they say yes, Ask the lady (victim) to whisper her name to you or the Lady(victim) to show you her ID…then Tell the scammer/kidnapper to tell you the name of that lady(victim) he’s trying to take.… if the scammer gets the name wrong it simply means he was trying to kidnap the lady…. - *Call 10111 or SAPS* right away and tell them you suspect a kidnapping. - *Take details*: Car color, make, license plate, location, what the man looks like. Send to police and share to warn others. Kidnappers are using our fear of “getting involved” and stigma around mental illness against us. Let’s not let it work. *Please share this with your sisters, mothers, friends, coworkers, and WhatsApp groups.* One share could save a life. Stay in groups where you can. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is. *Emergency numbers for Johannesburg:* Tshenolopi: +27 66 472 7099 SAPS: 10111 | Ambulance: 10177 | JMPD: 011 758 9650 | GBV Helpline: 0800 428 428 #SouthAfrica #KidnappingScam #WomensSafety #SAPS #StayAlert #TshenoloPI