DETECTIVES in KwaZulu-Natal have issued a warning to the public to steer clear of people who are intent on conning them out of their hard earned cash, through various scams.
“It is disturbing to find that people are willing to hand over their money to someone who claims to be involved in illegal activities such as dealing in precious metals and stones,” said police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala, adding that detectives are swamped with cases of people who have been swindled out of large sums of money by con artists.
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On 30 March this year, a 39-year-old man was deceived and robbed of a large sum of money by criminals in Richards Bay.
It is alleged that the victim was lured from Durban to Richards Bay to purchase platinum.
He was presented with a bar which he was made to believe contained platinum. A
negotiations, he handed over the cash and was told to wait at a mall for the delivery of the merchandise.
The delivery did not materialise and when he tried to contact the fraudsters, their phones were switched off.
A case of theft by false pretences was opened for further investigation.
“Such scams are rife and offers that are too good to be true turn out to be not true. Citizens are urged not to commit crimes by investing in illegal deals that involve precious stones and metals. Anyone who is approached by such con artists are urged to contact their local police or Crime Stop on 08600 10111,” added Gwala.
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