A first year BA student was last Friday robbed of her cellphone in what appears to be a new scam on campus.

Thobile Ntimane was walking from Senate House through basement five around 5pm and was about to leave for the taxi rank when a man who looked like a student approached her.

The man made small talk, says Ntimane. “He said we should wait for his sister and could walk together to the taxi rank.”

The man, who claimed to be a Mining Engineering student, asked  Ntimane to wait with him for his sister. He was constantly on his phone.

“Mid-conversation with someone, his phone died.”  He then asked to use Ntimane’s phone.

“He left his phone on the table and called his sister on mine. He offered to buy us coffee as it was cold. I said fine and did not suspect a thing as his phone was on the table and there were many people around.”

Ten minutes later, when the guy did not come back, Ntimane felt something was wrong. “I tried to switch his phone on and it would not go on. I realised that it was a demo.”

Ntimane went into Wits Theatre where the guy had gone to get their coffee. “He was gone.”

Ntimane reported the theft to Campus Security and an investigation is underway.