Pretoria - Police are warning community members to be vigilant against cyber crimes as several people have been scammed of hard-earned money through various forms of internet fraud.
Police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the warning comes after a woman was defrauded by a man she met virtually on social media.
“The warning comes after allegations emerged of a female victim who reportedly met a male friend via social media. The victim is said to have believed everything the fraudster told her as he sounded legit, and the two became close to a point that he promised to send a gift,” said Mohlala in a statement.
Later, a woman believed to be an accomplice of the “male friend” allegedly called the unsuspecting victim, claiming to be working for a courier company.
The caller told the woman that she had a delivery for her.
“However, for the parcel to be delivered, the victim had to pay upfront an amount of R1 850. Due to excitement, the money was paid. However, the caller (the woman claiming to be from a courier company) called for the second time and further demanded R6 000, of which the victim managed to pay R3 000,” said Mohlala.
The victim was shocked when the purported gift was not delivered.
“Both the online friend and the alleged courier woman were nowhere to be found. Both their mobile phones had been off ever since. A fraud case was then registered at Mhluzi SAPS on Saturday, 5 November 2022. The matter is still under investigation,” said Mohlala.
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has taken the opportunity to caution community members against sprawling internet fraudsters “who are out there to prey on innocent victims, thereby defrauding them of their hard-earned cash”.
As the festive season approaches, police in Mpumalanga are warning community members to be more vigilant and to guard against phishing scams, internet fraud, online intellectual property infringements, identity thefts as well as online harassment and cyber-stalking.
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