Ghanaian ‘boyfriend’ scams ex-teacher out of R1.8m, Hawks investigate

A Ghanaian national allegedly scammed a former Limpopo teacher out of R1.8 million, posing as her boyfriend and exploiting her trust in a classic mjolo scam.

A Ghanaian national met the South African ex-teacher in January 2023 at Tubatse Crossing Mall in Burgersfort, but the duo didn’t start communicating and dating until August 2023.

According to Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit spokesperson Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, in October 2023, the boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend that they should have their own business.

‘Boyfriend’ scams ex-teachers

“He told the victim that he had found two trucks that are needed for such business, and they cost R3 000 000,” Mmuroa said.

“They went to the bank in Phalaborwa, where the victim transferred an amount of R1 800 000 to a certain account number.”

The victim returned home, expecting the trucks to arrive, but when she tried to call her Ghanaian boyfriend, he ignored her calls. She actively searched for him, but he had vanished.

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Mmuroa said that after exhausting those options, the victim reported her scammer boyfriend to the police.

The police opened a case docket for theft and transferred it to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit for further investigation.

The Hawks conducted intensive investigations, revealing that the R1.8 million was deposited into 33-year-old Mohoto Mangwejana’s account.

R1.8 million deposited in arrested suspects’ account

The Hawks referred the case to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for a decision after completing their investigation.

A warrant of arrest was issued for Mangwejana, who was eventually traced and arrested in the North West province on 5 December.

Mangwejana appeared in the Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court outside Burgersfort last Friday facing charges of theft and fraud related to a dating scam. The court postponed Mangwejana’s case until 11 December 2024 for his bail application.

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Meanwhile, the Hawks continue to pursue the Ghanaian boyfriend, who remains at large.

The provincial head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Major General (Adv) Gopz Govender, welcomed the arrest and appealed to the community to be vigilant of the dating scammers.

The Hawks have been sounding the alarm on romantic scams for numerous months.

Tips to identity possible romance scammers

In March, Hawks Western Cape spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi urged women in South Africa to remain vigilant and not to fall prey to scammers who enter their lives with the promise of love to defraud them out of their money.

The following tips could help women identify possible dating scammers:

• They look and sound very caring and responsible
• They always come up with business proposals
• They do not want their pictures to be taken
• They do not want to meet with you in a public place
• They always hide their identification documents
• They do not introduce you to their families
• They want to own everything in a relationship
• They do not take you to their real house
• They always come up with contradictory stories

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