HAWKS WARN SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN ABOUT DATING SCAMS
LIMPOPO – The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation would like to warn South African women about the rapid increase of dating scam incidents in the Province.
This warning comes after a 60-year old Polokwane-based woman who was allegedly scammed over R800 000-00 of her pension money. According to the victim who was employed by the Department of Education in Limpopo Province as a teacher, she randomly met a guy (suspect) at a shopping complex in Polokwane in the beginning of the year (2023).
The suspect allegedly proposed love to the victim who was due for retirement at the age of 60 in June this year. The victim further alleged that while waiting for her pension pay out in September, she visited the suspect at his rented house in Ivy Park (Polokwane).
According to the victim, she was taken to one of the rooms in the house by the suspect so that she could be introduced to the ancestors. While inside the room, the victim alleged that she heard a voice coming from nowhere telling her that she has been suffering for a very long time, but her suffering was over as there was an amount of R3.8 million waiting for her.
The victim further alleged that the suspect whom she was dating kept on asking for money in order to redeem her fortune (R3.8 million). The victim allegedly paid over R800 000-00 to the suspect until she became suspicious.
Whilst in her suspicions, she allegedly visited the suspect at his place, but she found that no one was there. When she enquired from the neighbours about the whereabouts of the suspect, they told her that a few days ago, the suspect came with a moving truck, took his stuff and left.
Since the cases of fraud (dating scam) are continuing to be reported to the Hawks, the potential victims particularly well-to-do single/widowed women are advised to be careful of the scammers who would come into their lives in the name of love.
The scammers target the following categories of single women:
- Women with stable jobs (They convince them to resign)
- Women who are recently divorced and have acquired some assets (convince them to register assets under their names or sell them)
- Women who are in business ( they come up with fake business proposal that needs funding)
- Women who have inherited wealth
- Women who are about to retire
- Women who are widows
