Picture: Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images
The South African Police Service (Saps) in Tshwane police have warned the public about bogus calls from people claiming to be from the police or Pretoria Moot detectives.
Tshwane regional police spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk said the District Commissioner of Tshwane, Major General Samuel Thine, was concerned about the emergence of a criminal trend in which suspects falsely claim to represent Saps Pretoria Moot detectives to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
“These scammers call victims and claim to be from a state agency. They then inform the victims that scammers use their cellphones to defraud people. The suspects then advise the victims that they can assist them if they agree to pay off a so-called ‘standby prosecutor’ demanding R10 000 to resolve the matter.
“They then hand over the phone to two suspects who claim to be detectives from Saps Pretoria Moot, responsible for investigating the alleged fraud case. The alleged detectives then threatened the victim with imminent arrest,” he explained.
Van Dyk said victims only realise it’s a scam after contacting the police station.
“The public is advised to remain vigilant and to ask anyone who calls them about a case to give them a case number and a police station where the case was registered, and then immediately contact that police station. “
Contact details for all police stations are available on the Saps website or on the MySaps app, available for download for smartphones.
Van Dyk reminded the public that offering or paying money to individuals to make cases “disappear” is considered bribery and a criminal offence.
Last month, Van Dyk warned residents about the increase of online scams in which residents were being robbed in Winterveldt after a woman was robbed by five armed men when she responded to an online advert to buy an ice cream machine.
This was not the first online scam linked to Winterveldt and other scams, including cars for sale.
“The Saps urges the public to make purchases through reputable online platforms. For safety, meeting points should be secure locations, such as police stations. As we approach the festive season, we warn citizens to be vigilant of increased scams and not to fall victim to these criminal activities,” he said.
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