‘It came from prison’ – Scammers try to extort R50k from family of KZN snowstorm victim

The skills of an experienced private investigator stopped a family from falling for a R50 000 extortion scam looking to prey on those heartbroken by the recent snowstorms in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

Extortion is on the rise throughout the country. The 2024/25 first quarter national stats released on 30 August showed the crime rose from 13 cases between April and June 2023 to 30 cases during the same period this year.

A KZN family almost became part of the extortion statistics when their search for a loved one took a turn.

Disruptive snow led to various roads being closed, and thousands stranded, in KZN in September. Two people died from hypothermia during the storms, including Wayne Bhengu.

Speaking to The Citizen, private investigator Brad Nathanson said Bhengu got off a bus on the N3 to have a cigarette and didn’t return.

ALSO READ: What happened to Spring? Weather Service explains why October is so cold

Scammer fails to extort the family

Bhengu’s family members asked for Nathanson’s assistance in locating him.

“Before I could post [an alert on Facebook], some fools got hold of the family to say that they knew exactly where Wayne was. They wanted R50 000 and then they would return Wayne safely.

“When the family got hold of me, I said, ‘No, this is nonsense,’” Nathanson explained.

He said that this was an old scam, and he immediately knew what was going on.

“When I ran the telephone number, I saw it was not RICA’d. So, immediately I knew what was going on.”

Minutes later, Nathanson received a call from the same number that contacted the family, trying to extort money from him for another victim he had posted about.

“They continued to phone this family saying that they had Wayne. They did not know that we’d already found his body at the hospital in Estcort,” he said.

Scammers are possibly from prisons

He believes the call may have come from prison.

“We were able to ping phones before that platform was removed from us. We used to ping these phones to prisons, either Diepkloof or Pollsmoor prison. It was always from prison.

“I do not doubt that this is just prisoners with access to phones, laptops, Facebook, and crooked policemen.”

What to do if they call you

According to Nathanson, family members of victims are advised to be careful before sending money to unknown people.

“Get somebody who’s not emotionally involved, and who’s able to separate the factual information and false information. Ask [the caller] to send a picture of proof of life of your loved one,” he concluded.

NOW READ: Over 500 Correctional Services officials dismissed in last five years