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A family that paid 100,000 rand to “expunge the file” in a fraud case was surprised to see the matter appear on the court list; then he realized they had been scammed and asked the Hawks for help.
Hawks spokesman Capt. Matimba Maluleke warned the public Wednesday that the scammers had discovered an opportunity to “make money by swindling the families of those arrested.”
“The Priority Crime Investigation Directorate warns the public about scammers pretending to be members of the Hawks,” he said.
Explaining how the scam was discovered, he said the family of the suspect who was arrested by the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation team for fraud was allegedly contacted by a man who identified himself as “Enos.” He claimed to be from the “serious corruption unit” in Polokwane, Limpopo, and demanded money to crush the file. They duly delivered 100,000 rand.
“After the money was paid, the defendants’ relatives were shocked when the matter was put on the court list instead of what the fake Hawks promised them. They reported the matter to the real Hawks who are investigating, ”Maluleke said.
“While I was busy with the investigation, another report was received about a false member of the Hawks demanding money from the family of another defendant.
“The Priority Crime Investigation Directorate would like to inform the public that no member of the Hawks can call the families of those arrested and demand money for their freedom.”
Maluleke said: “If someone receives such a call, they should know that they are about to be scammed and they should report to the nearest police station.”
TimesLIVE
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