FRAUDSTERS hoping to buy a mobile phone on the Bluff were quickly caught out when they returned to the scene of the crime.
A man was supposedly called by mobile phone vendor to confirm his personal information to finalise a purchase agreement for a new phone and contract. As he had not applied for such, he became suspicious and asked the people on the phone to call back later.
The quick-thinking man then visited the shop at the Bluff Towers to find out what was going on. At the shop he was shown an identification document with his personal information but the incorrect spelling of his name and the photo of another person along with a bank statement and salary advice with faked details.
While at Brighton Beach police station to open a case of identity fraud, he received a call from someone at the mobile phone shop telling him the suspected fraudsters had returned.
Warrant Officers Spirit Nene and Bongumusa Shoba headed to the shop, where they arrested two men, aged 27 and 31.
Constable Garth Mei of the Brighton Beach SAPS management information centre determined through electronic fingerprint identification that the 27-year-old was wanted for a 2010 hijacking in Pinetown for which a warrant of arrest was issued for failing to appear in court.
W/O Shoba Bail opposed bail when the duo appeared in the Durban Regional Court on Friday, 15 January and they were sent to Westville prison pending further investigation.
“Brighton Beach SAPS management commends the arrest of the two identity fraudsters. We also acknowledge the vigilance of the mobile phone provider, the co-operation of the victim and the partnership between our detectives and Cst Mei,” said communications officer, Captain Louise Le Roux.
