ACTING PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER RAISES CONCERN ABOUT SCAMS

ACTING PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER RAISES CONCERN ABOUT SCAMS

Nelspruit – On Thursday 30 October 2014, the Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Meshack Nogwanya, express his concern with regard to a scam that is operating in the province conning unsuspecting victims of their hard earned money.

There is an old but seem to be a new way of robbing people of their money that criminals continue to use. Many complaints have been received from people who were or on the verge of becoming victims where the criminals used the same modus operandi.

The suspects, who are operating in groups, are targeting people who are from banks to withdraw huge amounts of cash, either inside the bank or at the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). They will stand in a queue and pretended to be clients while they are observing people when they do the withdrawals. When the victim leaves the bank or the ATM, they will signal their accomplices who will lure the unsuspecting victim into a trap which is conducted as follows:

The suspect will throw a money bag filled with newspapers that are wrapped with R200 or R100 notes on the sides in front of the victim. They will then act as if they just found the money and pretend to be Good Samaritan and ask the victim to accompany him/her to a secluded place to share it because he/she has also spotted it too. When they arrive at the place, other people (the suspect’s accomplices) will emerge and rob the victim of his/her money he/she withdrew from the bank and some of his/her other valuable belongings.

“As the police in Mpumalanga we confirm that there are cases where individuals were conned of their cash through this villainous modus operandi.  So we wish to warn our community to be careful of such criminal activities and not to accompany or follow any unknown person who wants to share money that you did not earn. It is a concern to us that people even if they have heard of this unscrupulous behavior of heartless criminals; however they continue to fall victims. We urge the community to be vigilant at all times and stay away from easy comes”, said Major General Nogwanya.