Springs police are looking for two men in connection with a case of fraud and another of theft after they swindled two women out of hundreds of thousands of rands.
One victim spoke to the Advertiser about how she was scammed out of her retirement payout after crossing paths with the pair, one of whom she became romantically involved with.
“I met John in August while I was shopping. He seemed like a nice guy, so I agreed to exchange numbers and that is how we started talking,” explained Angela* (not her real name).
The victim said John was a gentleman who swept her off her feet. They became a couple, and in September, Angela met John’s uncle, Gordon.
“We all just called him uncle. He seemed very interested in my life and my past. He asked a lot of questions, but I was not suspicious of anything. I just assumed he was trying to get to know me,” she said.
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Angela said she got the impression Gordon was wealthy. According to her, he wore expensive cologne and drove the best cars.
“John did everything I ever dreamed of. He spoiled me in every way. I felt lucky to have met him,” she said.
Gordon, who also said he was a prophet, once invited the couple to pray with him at John’s house.
“John lived in Dunnotar. I had no reservations about praying with them. I was happy they were Christians, and John would always encourage me with scriptures,” she added.
On the day of the prayer meeting, they went into a room and started singing and praying.
“It felt good to my spirit. Uncle told me that when we pray, his ancestors may also communicate with us,” said Angela.
She said she heard what she believed were the men’s ancestors speaking directly to her.
“They were speaking in my language, but John and uncle are from Somalia, so I was convinced that the message was for me. They told me about many things that were going wrong in my life and how I could fix it,” she said.
After the reviving spiritual experience, Angela was excited about the prospects of a new lease on life.
“There was a box in the prayer room and uncle told me to go look inside. I opened it and it was full of money. He told me to take some of the money and use it at any store to prove that it was real. And I did,” she said.
Angela explained she was excited about the money because she was in debt. After the prayer meeting, she was encouraged to pray every day at a specific time.
“Uncle would always remind me of my prayer time,” she said.
Soon after, Gordon told Angela it was revealed to him she was supposed to resign from her job and start a business with John. She did not find this suspicious.
“I trusted both of them. They had been so kind to me,” she said.
Angela resigned from work and served her notice.
“In the months I was still waiting for my pension fund payout, John and uncle gave me money, which was the amount of my normal salary. I was blown away,” she said.
According to Angela, Gordon called her a few days before she finally received the payout.
“He told me exactly how much it would be and the date I would get it. I didn’t have that information, so I was convinced this was revealed to him through the spirits,” she said.
The money was deposited into her account in February, exactly as Gordon had predicted.
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“He then told me exactly what to do with it,” said Angela.
After a few transactions, almost R800 000 in cash was now in the prayer room, and John had since moved to Dersley Park. Angela, however, started feeling uneasy.
“It was a Wednesday morning when I woke up and I felt sick to my stomach. I just knew that something was wrong,” said Angela.
She got hold of John, but she said she could hear he was in a moving vehicle.
“I thought he was in a truck, but he assured me he was at work and that he would speak to me later,” she said.
Not convinced by John’s response, Angela drove to his rented home.
“There was no one there. When I went to the back, I could see through the windows that the house was empty. They were gone, and I was shattered,” she said.
Angela went back to the house a few days later to look for answers. She got in and went through some papers that had been left behind. To her surprise, she found information about another woman.
“I called her and told her who I was and where I was. I explained my story to her, and she told me what happened to her. Our stories were identical,” she added.
Angela and the other woman met at the Springs Police Station to lay charges against the pair. The other victim lost more than R900 000 in the ordeal.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the men may contact Sgt Leah Mtsweni on 083 294 6208, Sgt Lusapho Njwambe on 083 745 4244 or Springs SAPS on 011 365 5700.
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