Four men expected in court after allegedly defrauding a bank of R1.7 million

Four men were arrested on Wednesday morning for allegedly defrauding a banking institution of R1.7 million in a joint operation consisting of the Cradock Commercial Task Team and members of a forensic task team from the affected bank.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said the four men were operating a fraud syndicate between Beaufort West in the Western Cape and Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.

They allegedly recruited unemployed people in Beaufort West and promised them jobs in Graaff-Reinet.

Kinana said the recruits would be transported in groups of five.

“The recruits were taken to the Graaff-Reinet municipality to obtain an address confirmation, and then supplied with three months of falsified pay sheets. They were then ordered to open credit card accounts, where the money was allegedly withdrawn by the suspects.

“Fifty-five credit cards to the value of R1.7 million had already been issued. The four suspects, aged between 24 and 44, will soon appear in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud. More arrests are imminent,” Kinana said.

Eastern Cape provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga, commended the partnership between SAPS and the affected bank’s forensic task team.

“The relentless efforts by the task teams in tracing and arresting the suspects were impressive. These arrests result in SAPS meeting its organisational objectives of serving the communities and should also send a strong message to those involved in organised crime that we mean business. It is only a matter of time before we catch up with their criminal activities,” Ntshinga said.

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