POLICE in the province are investigating cases of fraud, committed by fraudsters with the same modus operandi, who are milking contractors through fake tenders.
Police have issued a stern warning to tender applicants to be careful when applying for tenders as many people pretend to represent government departments.
Captain Nqobile Gwala from provincial SAPS said one must always take note that with government tenders an applicant must be in the database of the department in order to be granted a tender.
“No person can be awarded a tender without applying for it. People are advised to familiarise themselves with persons who deal with tender applications within the department and make enquiries,” said Gwala.
Gwala said criminals were utilising what appeared to be letterheads belonging to government departments to defraud unsuspecting business owners. Business owners are informed that they have been awarded tenders by government institutions or departments, correspondence is submitted electronically to the complainant on what appears to be an official document and the product which the business owner has to provide are usually items not commonly found.
“The complainant is directed to order the products from a specific fictitious manufacturer or supplier situated outside the province in relation to where the complainant operates his business. The arrangement is that the supplier will then deliver the product to a specific government department in another province. The complainant makes purchases from the ‘supplier’ and deposits huge sums of money into a banking account. The initial amount for purchases is usually between R100 000 and R400 000,” said Gwala.
The complainant is then influenced to make further purchases or deposits within a short space of time. After making three to four payments or purchases the complainant becomes suspicious and follows up with the respective department.
“They then discover that the whole tender process was a scam and by this time they have already suffered huge financial losses. We urge anyone who was defrauded in a similar manner to contact their nearest police station,” said Gwala. You can also contact the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111.
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