FOLLOWING a number of incidents in which people have been scammed by a person impersonating a police officer in the Hillcrest area the CPF chairperson, Tracey Lynch, has warned the public to be vigilant.

Speaking to the Highway Mail, Lynch said the scam began last year, with the suspect posing as ‘Captain Moodley’ from Hillcrest SAPS. The individual sent letters to businesses requesting donations, claiming they were either for a special SAPS function or to raise funds for the underprivileged.

“The problem is that he cannot be traced because he uses different unregistered (un-RICAd) numbers,” said Lynch.

She added that the latest scam involves the suspect phoning people and falsely claiming that a warrant has been issued for their arrest. Victims are then told they can make a ‘donation’ to have the case withdrawn.

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According to Lynch, she is aware of at least two people who have fallen victim to the scam, paying amounts of R10 000 and R5000 respectively.

“What confuses us is how he gets people’s contact details,” she said.

Businessman Rob Francis, who was also approached by the fake ‘Captain Moodley’, said he runs a vehicle repair business and had withheld a car due to non-payment.

“I came back to the office one day and was told that a Captain Moodley had called looking for me. I returned the call and he introduced himself as Captain Moodley from Hillcrest SAPS,” said Francis.

“He told me, ‘I have a warrant for your arrest. It is about a car, and I can assist you.’”

Francis initially believed a case may have been opened against him.

“I asked if he was at the police station. He said yes, and I told him I would meet him at the commander’s office. Suddenly he pretended he couldn’t hear me and the phone went dead.”

With an investigative background, Francis made further enquiries and discovered that the impersonator had previously been arrested and is also a wanted man.

“We spoke a few times before he blocked me once he realised I was on to him,” said Francis.

Lynch said fraud cases were becoming increasingly common.

“Every week we hear of a fraud incident. The sad part is that most fraudsters target elderly people, who are vulnerable and panic easily,” she said.

She urged residents to verify any suspicious calls or requests.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Contact your bank and the police to verify information. You cannot have a warrant of arrest issued against you if you have not committed a crime.”

Lynch added that in many cases scammers are not even in the country.

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“The unfortunate reality is that police often do not have the capacity or resources to investigate every fraud case,” she warned.

Hillcrest SAPS station commander, Colonel Lucky Njomboni, said after seeing the fraud stats increasing and following reports about this ‘Captain Moodley’ they and the CPF decided to highlight the case and warn the public.

Njomboni placed on record that they have no officer named ‘Captain Moodley’.

“We are looking into the matter and with fraud cases rising, we would like to warn the public to not trust people easily with their money. You can not deposit money to someone you do not know and pay for items you have not seen. People should verify before paying the money.”

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