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The Hawks have arrested a 54-year-old Midrand man who allegedly defrauded an elderly woman of R500,000.
Brigadier General Hangwani Mulaudzi’s spokesman says the Hawks’ investigation led to two victims of the alleged scam.
The first woman, a nutrition distributor, said the man approached her and showed interest in buying her products.
The two agreed to buy R1 073 for the products, and the woman sent the man an invoice and his account details.
But, to his surprise, R300,000 was transferred to his account.
The woman contacted the Midrand police and the matter escalated to the Hawks.
On Friday, the Hawks tracked the R300,000 and identified the source.
R500,000 for ‘new car’
However, the source was not the alleged scammer, but a 72-year-old woman who said she had transferred the money to buy a new car.
“The person over the age of 72 informed the team that he transferred R500,000 – R200,000 and R300,000 – to two different accounts for a new vehicle,” Mulaudzi said.
“The investigative team established that the victim was misled as neither the company name nor the address on the invoice were valid. Both accounts were immediately frozen and investigations are still ongoing.”
All phones, SIM cards, and a storage device were confiscated by man.
He is expected to appear Tuesday in the Midrand Court of First Instance on charges of fraud and money laundering.
The Hawks’ chief, Lt. Gen. Godfrey Lebeya, praised the arrest.
“It is discouraging to see how criminals attack the elderly. We will also focus on the person’s legal situation in the country,” he said.
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