Hawks arrest suspect for R1.2 million speedpoint machine fraud

A 41-year-old man was arrested by the Hawks as a second suspect linked to an elaborate speedpoint machine fraud.

The suspect is set to appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, following his arrest in East London for alleged fraud.

The Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation unit from Queenstown made the arrest on Friday.

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Hawks arrest suspects linked to speedpoint fraud

The case involves the fraudulent sale of point-of-sale devices that diverted business transactions worth R1.2 million over approximately three months.

The suspect’s alleged accomplice, Dylan Buzz Strydom, was previously arrested by the Hawks on 23 September.

Two days later, the 27-year-old appeared before the Mthatha Regional Court, where he was granted bail of R500.

According to investigators, the scheme targeted a Tsomo Hotel owner who was approached by an individual claiming to be an employee of Yoco Technology (Pty) Ltd.

The suspects allegedly sold three speed point machines to the hotel owner for R3 500.

The fraud came to light a few months down the line when the hotel owner discovered that speed point machines were not depositing sales transactions into the business account.

After making the realisation, the owner “decided to open a case of fraud with the Hawks”, said Hawks provincial spokesperson Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana.

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Investigation findings

According to Mhlakuvana, investigations that followed revealed that the transaction funds were being redirected to a bank account belonging to the recently arrested suspect in East London.

Further probe uncovered evidence of collusion between the suspect and Strydom to defraud the complainant.

“The transactions worth R1.2 million took place between July and September 2023,” Mhlakuvana said in a statement on Saturday.

Mhlakuvana added the suspect is set to be “a prisoner in transit”.

He will be transported from East London to Mthatha for his first court appearance at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

Hawks Eastern Cape head, major-general Mboiki Obed Ngwenya commended the investigation team, stating that their “swift response and proper utilisation of expert investigation skills” led to the successful arrest.

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