Cop impersonator scams stolen vehicle victims in the east
“No payments are required at police pounds or at police stations to get stolen vehicles back.”
A person impersonating a police officer is scamming victims whose cars have been stolen, according to police in the east of Pretoria.
The impersonator would claim that the victim’s stolen car has been “recovered” and that the owner must pay a fee for the police pound to release it or transport it from another province.
“After the payment has been made, the so-called ‘police officer’ can no longer be traced and the phone number is no longer working,” said police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach.
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Weilbach said sometimes the so-called “police officer” would even ask for airtime for him to phone the complainant back when all the arrangements have been finalised.
“Several such cases of fraud have been reported at police stations within the Tshwane central cluster.”
She said the SAPS are investigating how the person managed to obtain the personal details of complainants and their stolen vehicles.
In the latest such scam, a 43-year-old Garsfontein man received a call from a person who alleged that he was investigating the theft of his motor vehicle.
The vehicle was reported stolen in the Brooklyn policing precinct earlier this month.
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The so-called “investigating officer” asked a few questions about the vehicle such as whether the vehicle was fitted with any tracking devices.
The complainant was surprised because all that information was mentioned in his statement to the police.
The next day, the “investigating officer” phoned back with the “good news” that the vehicle was recovered in Limpopo.
He asked the complainant to deposit an amount of R1 500 via e-wallet so that the vehicle could be brought back to Pretoria.
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Weilbach said the vehicle owner, however, became suspicious and reported it to the Brooklyn police station.
“When vehicles are recovered, the owner must go to the SAPS pound in person with personal documents and vehicle registration papers as proof,” said Weilbach.
“No payments are required at police pounds or at police stations to get stolen vehicles back.
“The owner can also appoint an insurance company to collect the vehicle from the pound on their behalf if there are any damages to the vehicle,” said Weilbach.
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