Yeoville police arrested a fraud suspect on 3 October and on 5 October the accused appeared in the Hillbrow Magistrates’ Court.
“The accused advertises jobs in the mining industry and factory work, with the intention of hiring the unemployed through pamphlets and possibly through social media,” said Yeoville Police Station spokesperson, Captain Sifiso Mabizela.
He said the victims are usually from rural areas and are desperate to secure employment. “They are normally lured into travelling from provinces outside Gauteng and when they reach Johannesburg Park Station, they’re transported by a hired taxi and are allegedly told to pay a deposit for accommodation and admin costs of R2 500 or more,” he said. The accused would allegedly then book victims into a lodge or guest house for one day and then disappear.
“Some of the victims found themselves stranded at Yeoville Police Station with nowhere to go and no money, after realising they were scammed,” explained Mabizela.
“The suspect appeared in the Hillbrow Magistrates’ Court for two cases, one of which has about nine complainants of theft under false pretences. We urge members of the public to be very cautious when they are being offered jobs. They must not pay money in exchange for a job. In most cases, these suspects are untraceable or vanish without a trace,” he said. He appealed to the public to bring such matters to the police.
“Yeoville police also arrested 23 suspects from 27 September to 3 October for various criminal offences.”
Yeoville Police Station 011 487 5900 or 084 940 0124.
Also read: Job seeker raped by would-be employer
