Fraudsters pose as police to scam Stellenbosch woman out of R10 000
Scammers are using high-pressure video calls to terrorise ordinary citizens into believing they are the targets of major criminal investigations.
Image: File
A 50-year-old woman from Stellenbosch was shocked when individuals posing as police accused her of being "the female version of Pablo Escobar," involved in smuggling ecstasy, fake passports, and counterfeit clothing to Australia.
Believing their claims that she was a wanted criminal, she transferred R9 999 during a four-hour video call, emptying her Nedbank account. They assured her the payment was a temporary security check and promised a refund within three hours, which never materialised.
Left out of pocket, the woman, who is too embarrassed to be named publicly, said she only realised later that the people on her screen were actually professional scammers.
“I was scared and did exactly what they wanted me to do... I truly believed I had been framed and that police were really looking for me as a drug lord, so I fell for it," she said.
"They scammed me, and they scammed me good."
She is among a growing number of victims losing money to fraudsters posing as police officers.
Police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said it was a common scam in which criminals impersonated police officers to extort money from unsuspecting people.
"Police have on numerous occasions, warned members of the public about criminals impersonating police officials and other law enforcement authorities to extort money from unsuspecting victims," Traut said.
"The scam typically involves perpetrators creating a sense of fear and urgency by falsely informing victims that they are implicated in criminal activities or that warrants have been issued for their arrest."
They then instruct the victim to transfer funds into a fictitious account, often claiming it belongs to the SA Reserve Bank.
They claim it is for safekeeping during the investigation, and reassure the victim the money will be refunded once their innocence has been proven.
Traut said the public should remember the police did not negotiate arrests or investigations over the phone.
The Stellenbosch woman’s ordeal began in February on Friday the 13th, a date often associated with misfortune, when she received a call from a man identifying himself as “Steven”.
He claimed to have been a customs supervisor at Cape Town International Airport.
According to the woman, he informed her that a parcel destined for Australia had been intercepted.
The package allegedly contained 71 SIM cards, clothing, 12 passports, nine bank cards and 140g of ecstasy.
"He further said that I was the sender of the parcel and informed me that my name and ID number appeared as the sender on the package," the woman, who opened a case at the Stellenbosch police station, she said on Wednesday.
According to the caller, the parcel had been handed to a courier company called Seven Sea World Wide and paid for using a Discovery Bank card.
A quick Google search revealed Seven Seas Worldwide is an international shipping and removals company that assisted with moving personal belongings, including household goods and excess baggage. The company had nothing to do with the scam.
"I told him I was in no way involved in the matter and that I had no knowledge of the contents of the parcel," she said.
The woman said the man then informed her that because she was denying any involvement, he would transfer her to the office of the provincial police commissioner.
What followed was a marathon four-hour video call involving a string of supposed police officers and legal officials.
The woman said a female officer identifying herself as "Constable BA Mathe" took over the call and informed her she could submit an online statement and obtain a "clearance certificate" to clear her name.
The constable then initiated a video call.
"Both the constable and I were visible during the video call. She was dressed in a police uniform and her surroundings looked like a police office.
She said she was instructed to move her cellphone around the room so the “officer” could confirm that no one else was present.
She was then asked a series of questions and instructed to read confidential documents sent to her via WhatsApp aloud.
"After numerous questions and confidential statements sent to me via WhatsApp, which I had to read out loud, she said 'Captain GD Mene' would assist me further."
The woman said she was then transferred to the supposed captain.
"This conversation also took place via video call, but her face was not visible," she said.
During the questioning, the victim said she mentioned she had recently booked a domestic flight and wondered whether that could have been where her personal information had been compromised.
According to her, the captain said she would investigate the matter.
"She asked me about my bank accounts and requested I send a screenshot of my account," she said.
The woman said the captain then checked whether her identity number was linked to any fraud or criminal records.
"According to her, my ID was also linked to a Mr Paul Calder le Roux, who was allegedly a convicted criminal involved in drug trafficking and money laundering."
The victim said she was told the man had 247 people working for him and that investigators were trying to determine how her personal identity information had been leaked.
She was then transferred to a third person identifying herself as "Advocate Celiwe Mhlungu".
"During this part of the video call, both the advocate and I were visible," she said.
"She was dressed in black with a white collar.
"The environment looked like an office with a photograph of the President in the background, as well as the SA flag and a police flag."
The woman said the advocate informed her the process was almost complete and she would soon receive her clearance certificate.
There was, however, one final hurdle.
According to the victim, she was told she needed to make a payment into an account that had supposedly been "frozen" by the SA Reserve Bank so investigators could determine whether her account was linked to any fraudulent activity.
"She explained as soon as I made the payment a signal would automatically be activated on their side.
"It would indicate whether I had ever been linked to any of the fraudulent accounts."
The woman said she was assured the money would be refunded within three hours.
When she attempted to make the payment, her husband had to approve the transaction.
"They also said the money would be refunded within three hours."
At 2.44pm, the woman transferred R9 999 into an ABSA account.
The call ended shortly afterwards, with the supposed advocate promising to contact her again within minutes.
At 3.14pm, she received the promised clearance certificate via WhatsApp.
"I then realised it was a scam and went to Nedbank to report the fraudulent transaction."
The woman later opened a criminal case with police.
The SA Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) said there was a 32% increase in reported fraud incidents overall in 2024, with banking fraud accounting for 45% of these incidents.
Crime expert Johan Burger said no legitimate police officer would ever request money from the public.
“No genuine honest police officer will ever ask a victim to deposit money in whatever account. That’s not how the police work,” he said.
He also warned that scammers often try to isolate victims by instructing them not to speak to anyone else.
Burger advised members of the public to verify any claims through the SAPS Anti-Corruption Investigating Unit if they feel uncertain or pressured.