A ruthless online scam that swindled a victim out of over R3,4-million and led to the arrest of a Nigerian national in Gordon’s Bay last year, resulted in two more arrests in Mfuleni and Strand last Tuesday (8 July).
The significant breakthrough, conducted by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crimes Investigation’s 419 scam Task Team, brings the total number of alleged fraudsters to five.
The two newest suspects, aged 26 and 22, appeared in the Bellville Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 10 July, facing charges of fraud and money laundering. Their arrests follow a meticulous investigation by the Hawks into a case reported at the Lyttelton Police Station in Pretoria last August, where a complainant alleged being defrauded of over R3 million.
According to a Hawks’ statement, the intricate scam reportedly began on Facebook, where one of the suspects initiated contact with the victim. Conversations quickly moved to WhatsApp, where the fraudster spun a fabricated tale about his son being critically ill.
In a shocking manipulation, the suspect even provided the complainant with his purported banking login details and passwords, instructing them to transfer money into their own account. When this attempt failed, the suspect resorted to pleading for “a few thousand dollars” to cover urgent medical bills.
The unsuspecting complainant, over a period of two months, reportedly deposited a staggering R3 415 000 into the suspect’s accounts. The funds were then allegedly redistributed among accomplices, with false assurances of reimbursement once the “son’s bills” were settled – a promise that never materialised.
The case has seen a series of arrests, highlighting the persistent efforts of the Hawks. Notably, Gabriel Okoli, a Nigerian national, was traced and arrested in Gordon’s Bay last October (“Hawks take down romance scammer in Gordon’s Bay after defrauding woman of millions“, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 11 October 2024).
The Hawks said more arrests are anticipated as the investigation into the sophisticated scam continues to unfold.
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