THE public has been alerted about scams running rife in the City as the festive season approaches, and has been urged to take extra precautions.
It has been reported that after the withdrawal of large sums of money at banks in Empangeni’s central business district, usually on Fridays to pay wages, criminals follow victims from the bank to their next stop (often a retailer) and their vehicles are broken into and the money stolen.
The South Africa Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), a non-profit company formed by four major banks to assist in combatting organised bank-related crimes, has reported an increase in robberies in which criminals target individuals and not the bank. This is a national problem.
Reports have also surfaced of ‘muti’ trickery.
Victims withdraw large amounts of money for household purposes, they are followed in town and touched by a stranger on the shoulder and told ‘muti’ had been used on them and their money would turn to paper if they do not seek help from a ‘sangoma’.
‘The gullible victim is led astray to a ‘sangoma’ who allegedly reverses the spell by putting the money in a packet and when the victim returns home, the packet has been swopped and they have been given a bag full of paper,’ said Empangeni SAPS spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose.
‘We also have strangers posing as assistant shop managers who target women, claiming to have a good price for them and asks the victim for the money she has so he or she can negotiate with the manager on the customer’s behalf. They then disappear with the money,’ said Mdlalose.
‘People need to be vigilant. We have had many cases of this reported in the CBD and also along Commercial Road.’ Mdlalose said.
