Weddings in Rome and frozen accounts: How ‘Mario Bertolini’ scammed a pensioner of R500k

The Gqeberha and Bellville Serious Commercial Crime Investigation of the Hawks have made a second arrest in the online dating scam case involving a pensioner.

According to spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, Thembeka Bendon, 47, was arrested on allegations of fraud.

The first suspect, Thina Mpuhlu, 42, was arrested on 26 October 2023 for the same charge and was released on R2,000 bail.

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The case is ongoing.

On 16 March 2014, the pensioner met someone who called himself Mario Bertolini on a dating site.

“It is further reported that after a month of getting to know each other via cell phone calls, messages and e-mails, Bertolini invited the complainant to his brother’s wedding in Rome, Italy. However, the complainant could not receive the visa as it was short notice,” said Mgolodela.

“Bertolini is further reported to have informed the complainant that he was responsible for funding his brother’s wedding since their parents were deceased and he was the only sibling to the bridegroom.

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“The dating partner also allegedly informed the complainant that he would come back to South Africa in five days as he had to finish a building contract in Mosselbay, thus giving an impression of having a strong financial muscle and building trust by the complainant.”

Bertolini then asked her for financial assistance, claiming his South African bank account had been frozen.

He allegedly asked for more than R151 000 for his brother’s wedding, more than R154 000 for his daughter’s operation and R220 000 for his debt with Sars.

She obliged as she believed her dating partner had the financial muscle to pay back more than R505 000 that was due to her.

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“It is further reported that after these transactions Bertolini disappeared into thin air. The matter was reported to the Hawks that engaged in an intensive investigation that revealed that Bertolini was a fictitious name used by the two apprehended suspects,” said Mgolodela.

Bendon made his first appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and is in transit to the Eastern Cape to re-appear in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court today.