eThekwini women lose R119 000 in social media scam

Three women from eThekwini have been scammed for about R119 000 in total after responding to an advertisement on social media promising bank loans to blacklisted people.

A housewife, a businesswoman, and a pensioner had responded to adverts on Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp.

Promised to clear blacklisted names

“The services were initially free, and the suspects were advised that they would clear the blacklisted names from the credit bureau and get loan approvals for various amounts from First National Bank (FNB), Absa Bank, and Nedbank,” said Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) in a statement on Thursday.

The loan values ranged from R120 000 to R500 000 with a low repayment plan.

Rusa said the three women approached it in the past two weeks, separately, seeking assistance.

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The three suspects, two men and one woman, allegedly initially explained that they worked with attorneys and had bank managers at the relevant banks that would approve the load application.

The victims were then advised that a small amount for fees was immediately required from the credit bureau.

Money requests became more frequent

“The request for money would then become more frequent, with the suspects explaining that the loan was approved and funds were about to be released,” Rusa said.

The women then received confirmation calls from a man and woman who allegedly identified themselves as bank employees.

The victims were eventually scammed for R17 000, R65 000 and R37 000, respectively.

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Rusa said three OTT vouchers worth R3 000, believed to be used for online gambling, were also sent via WhatsApp to the suspects. The rest of the money was paid via eWallet or CashSend to the scammers.

“When the victims advised the suspects that a criminal case was going to be registered, they were threatened. One victim has registered a case with the South African Police Services (Saps),” RUSA said.

Voice notes sent to victims

In the released voice notes that were sent to the victims, one suspect can be heard saying that the matter would be sorted out if R5 500 was paid in return for a loan transfer.

“The document is ready. The document is ready, but unfortunately, you’ll have to pay R1 100 for the document… and you’ve got until 5pm to sort it out. So, you have to do everything before 5pm so you can get your money,” a suspect said in another voice note.

Listen to the voice notes that were sent to the victims here:

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