Midrand police officers arrested two female suspects on 2 October for allegedly defrauding six complainants by promising them jobs and taking their money.
According to Midrand Police Station spokesperson, Constable Eliot Mabulane, the complainants came forward after being scammed of about R9 000. “The suspects advertised jobs online posing to be recruiting for a popular radio station in Polokwane,” said Mabulane.
“After receiving job applications from interested community members, they sent replies to the job seekers in the form of emails telling them to come to an address at Bekker Road in Midrand.
“On 15 September, when the applicants visited the address given to them, they were told to come with an amount of R240 for a police clearance and criminal clearance the following day. Upon arrival and paying the required amount on 16 September, the victims were told they would leave for Polokwane on 18 September and should come with money for accommodation.”
Mabulane added that when arriving on 18 September, three of the female complainants paid the money for the supposed accommodation. One victim paid R2 700, another paid R2 600 and the third R3 000. The other three complainants refused to pay as they were skeptical.
“The suspect who collected the money then went on the other side of the building [where the victims were told to meet] pretending to answer her phone. Instead, the suspect got into a blue Toyota Corolla Quest and drove away.”
He said one of the victims went to check where the suspect had gone and discovered that she had disappeared. The complainants then reported it to the police.
“Fortunately, Midrand police together with the tracing team managed to arrest two of the suspects and one is still at large. The two suspects were charged with fraud.
Mabulane said a similar case had been opened with the station previously. They believed that it was the same suspects involved in both cases.
Midrand police linked the two cases and held an identity parade on 8 October where all the complainants from the two cases were called to identify the suspects. The complainants were able to identify the suspects in the identity parade.
“We plead with the community not to apply for jobs online without doing proper research of the company, especially if they are new companies and not well-known.”
