Unauthorised Withdrawal After Money Transfer at Pep Store – Sam Ntuli Mall

On 31 October 2025, I deposited a total of R3000 at the Pep Store in Sam Ntuli Mall, making two separate transfers (R2000 + R1000) as advised by the cashier, who explained that the maximum transfer amount per transaction is R2000.

I was accompanied by my partner, but she was asked to step away from the till since only one person is allowed at the counter during the transfer process. The transaction was completed at 12:21 PM. Afterward, we sat on the benches near Totalsports, where there was also a grown lady seated.

While sitting there, I read out the reference numbers to my partner, but we noticed that they seemed incorrect. She then asked to check them herself without saying them out loud. After that, we stopped by Totalsports and left the mall.

The person I was sending the money to did not receive the PIN from me, as he already knows the usual PIN we use for transfers. However, at around 16:20, my younger brother called to inform me that the money had already been withdrawn.

We immediately contacted Pep’s head office, and they confirmed that:

R2000 was withdrawn from the Pep Clothing Store near Shoprite (Sam Ntuli Mall), and

R1000 was withdrawn from Pick n Pay (PnP) at the Absa ATM inside the store, around 12:36 PM.

We returned to the Pep store and reported the incident to the manager. She said she would investigate. When she attempted to check the transaction on her system, it displayed an “error.” We asked what that meant, and she said it might be a system issue. We explained that the money had already been withdrawn, but she asked how we knew. We informed her that we had contacted the head office. She refused to put the call on loudspeaker and later claimed that the head office confirmed all the money was withdrawn at PnP — which contradicted the information we had received earlier.

We then went to the police station to open a case. A statement was taken, and they said they would send us the case number, but we never received it. The next day, we were contacted by the Pep store, claiming they had “good news.”

When we returned, they showed us CCTV footage from the mall. The footage revealed a man sitting near us on the bench, apparently listening to our conversation. My partner immediately recognised him — he had also been inside Pep earlier, pretending to be on a phone call. This suggests that he likely followed us after we left the store.

During the CCTV review, the man was also seen talking to us. He asked if it was possible for a *** to cost R20,000 and commented that the price was too high. He then asked if we knew of any cheaper place. My partner mentioned that her grandfather sells ***s and that she could ask him. The man then suggested exchanging numbers, and my partner handed him her phone (open on the keypad screen) so he could type in his number. We watched as he typed, and he handed the phone back while it was still on the keypad screen. My partner then saved the number.

The Pep manager claimed that this man was the one who withdrew the money. However, what does not make sense is how he could have known the withdrawal PIN, the correct reference digits, and that the transfer had gone through Absa, considering that Pep transfers can be processed through either Absa or Standard Bank.

The manager refused to answer further questions, saying only that she would investigate. However, the staff member who assisted us with the transfer appeared visibly uncomfortable — her body language and tone suggested unease and possible awareness of what had happened. When we returned to the store later that same Friday, her behaviour confirmed our suspicions that she might know more than she was willing to admit.

After consulting with a friend who previously worked in retail, I was informed that staff members can sometimes access customer information and that similar incidents have occurred before.

This experience has been extremely stressful and disappointing. I have lost R3000, and there has been no accountability or transparency from the Pep Store at Sam Ntuli Mall. I strongly believe this incident involves negligence or possible misconduct by staff, and I request an urgent, thorough investigation and assistance in recovering my money.