Love is Blind: Victim loses R1 million after scammer pretends to be her lover
· Citizen
A 44-year-old suspect has been arrested for fraud by members of the Pretoria Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team, after scamming a female victim out of R1 million.
It is alleged that the incident took place during August 2023, when the suspect approached the victim in a flirtatious manner, proposing a romantic relationship.
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Courting her
According to SA Police Service reports, the suspect told her that he worked at a mining company, and after a week, gave her a phone number to contact a certain lady and set up a business meeting.
When the victim asked why the suspect did not contact her himself, he allegedly told her that he only deals with the lady’s father regarding mining business, while adding that it is better for her to contact another female.
Questionable stones
After the victim contacted the lady, a meeting was allegedly scheduled for 30 August 2023, where the victim and suspect met with a white female. During the meeting, reports indicate that the suspect gave the lady an envelope containing black stones.
After checking the stones, the lady allegedly told the suspect she would pay R26 million, pending verification. It is said that later in the meeting, an African male and female walked into the room wearing mining coats and took the stones for testing.
Borrow me money
After conducting tests, the two allegedly told the suspect they were authentic, but they needed to reduce the heat before they could be sold. The suspect allegedly asked the victim if she could lend him R290 000, and she then transferred the money to him.
It is further alleged that the lady contacted the suspect the following day and requested R250 000 for a “Coltan” certificate. The suspect allegedly repeatedly asked the victim to lend him more money. This continuous lending of money to the suspect resulted in the victim allegedly losing R1 million.
The Revelation
The victim was allegedly informed by the 44-year-old suspect’s friend, in September 2023, that her so-called lover was a scammer and that he was working alongside the white female and others who pretended to be working in a mining company.
The case docket was handed over to the Hawks for further investigation, resulting in the arrest of the foreign-national suspect.
The suspect is set to appear before the Alexander Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
READ MORE: Three women in court over R14 million romance scam