KZN man paid fraudster posing as a police officer. Security company warns the public to be vigilant.
A man in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, has been conned when he paid R7 500 to a fraudster posing as a police officer with a warrant for his arrest.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) has warned members of the public to remain vigilant to fake police officer scams. Rusa said scams of this nature are on the rise.
This alert comes after an eThekwini resident fell victim to the scam, losing R7 500 to a person posing as a policeman.
Man paid R7 500 to a fraudster posing as a police officer
The incident was reported to Rusa on Tuesday. The victim told Rusa officers that he got a call from a man claiming to be a police officer.
The man addressed the victim by name and said that a case of sexual exploitation and abuse had been filed against him.
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The scammer said that the Johannesburg Central regional court had issued an arrest warrant for the victim and that he was the investigating officer charged with carrying out the warrant immediately.
“During the call, the fraudster informed the 29-year-old victim that he could avoid arrest by paying a R7 500 deposit into a First National Bank account,” Rusa said.
“The scammer claimed this payment would serve as a guarantee while he negotiated with the court to have the warrant revoked.”
False arrest warrant document
Fearing being arrested at his workplace, the victim complied and transferred the funds.
Rusa said the victim received a falsified document purporting to be a revoked warrant of arrest shortly afterwards.
“Despite knowing there were no criminal charges against him, the victim acted out of fear,” Rusa said.
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Following the payment, the victim went to the closest police station and community service centre (CSC) near hiswprk.
Police investigations revealed that the two case numbers the victim received from the fake officer were unrelated matters.
That’s when the victim realised he had been scammed.
Police warning of impersonating officers
Earlier this year, the KZN police warned people of criminals who were impersonating police officers.
“We urge members of the community to be more cautious whenever there are people who come to their premises and introduce themselves as police officers,” KZN police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said.
“They must request to see appointment certificates before letting them inside or call the nearest police station to verify the credibility of those who introduce themselves as police officers.”
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