Related Articles
Top Stories
May 25 2012 13:58
The costs of the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project have increased significantly to almost R90bn, according to a report.
May 25 2012 12:44
Zimbabwe has directed banks not to provide services to a local unit of SA-owned miner Zimplats, after it continued to put money in offshore accounts.
May 25 2012 11:36
The JSE has identified and stopped "incorrect" trades from one of its members, and will reverse the trades and lower the session's total value after the close.
Johannesburg - A syndicate operated mainly by foreigners is defrauding unsuspecting bank clients of huge sums of money using the names of well known institutions, Pretoria police said on Wednesday.
Captain Julia Claassen said the syndicate - using false letterheads of the SA Revenue Service and Telkom - tells their victims to return a sum of money "paid into their bank by mistake."
"They will tell the client that their company had overpaid them using an internet transaction statement as proof."
She said a day after the client had re-paid the "company," it would emerge that the initial transaction was done with a fake cheque.
"We are warning businesses and community members to be wary of persons who introduce themselves as employees of certain companies.
"They should verify their credentials before doing any transactions, or alert police immediately."
Fifty-six people have been arrested since the scam was uncovered in July last year, Claassen said.
They were charged under anti-money laundering legislation or with fraud, and some had pleaded guilty.
Twelve other people arrested since the beginning of this year are expected to appear in the Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on April 11.
They will be facing similar charges.
The scam operates mainly in Pretoria and Johannesburg.