POLICE have issued a stern warning to people engaging in business dealings to be wary of strangers who could rob them of their hard-earned cash.
This warning follows a complaint by a Durban woman who reported she had been swindled of a huge amount of money.
Zama Ngcobo (35) of Lamontville opened a fraud case against a Richards Bay couple, after she was allegedly conned of R75 000.
Ngcobo claimed she made a business deal with the two suspects in Richards Bay in March this year to hire a truck that would generate profits from transporting loads.
‘I’m clueless as to how am I going to repay the bank loan I took to make this business deal to be successful. I was introduced to these suspects by a family friend who told me that he had been working with them for a while.
‘The two told me that they are renting a truck so I have to pay them R50 000 to rent a truck and R25 000 for fuel,’said Ngcobo.
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‘I followed all their instructions and paid the money, but I did not sign any documents regarding this deal, as I live in Durban,’ she said.
Ngcobo said she became suspicious when the pair failed to email her details of the truck and the contact details of the driver.
‘While I was waiting for these documents they demanded another R25 000 for fuel. I told them to take from the money that had been generated by the truck, which they did not agree to.’
She added that the suspects had initially told her that the truck had made about 153 loads a month, amounting to R68 000 profit.
‘I decided to cancel the deal and demanded my money back. They promised to pay me back on the 18 October, but that did not happen.
‘I than drove from Durban to their office in Richards Bay, and was shocked when I discovered they had left the place.
‘They are not responding to my calls, sms’s and emails, that’s why I opened a case against them,’ she said.
Empangeni Police Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose confirmed that a case of fraud was under investigation and that no arrest had yet been made.
‘We want to appeal to the community to conduct some research before making a business deal with strangers.
‘They must not just make electronic payments without verifying what they are paying for,’ he said.
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