Marloth Park scamster must be jailed, says investigator

MARLOTH PARK –  She has already been found guilty of the theft of a trailer and fined R3 000, and she faces a least six other charges.

Corridor Gazette reported before that Maritz has been charged with at least eight cases of fraud or misrepresentation relating to the letting or sale of holiday accommodation in Marloth Park. These cases are to be heard in courts in Margate, Port Edward, Middelburg, Vanderbijlpark, Belair, Potchefstroom, Honeydew and Kriel.

Apparently, Maritz warned complainants that she was enjoying the protection of well-known private investigator Mike Bolhuis’s Specialised Security Services. When Bolhuis got word of this lie, he and his team started working on this case. Marloth Park Tourism worked with complainants to consolidate case information and pass it on to the relevant law enforcement departments, as well as to Bolhuis’s team.

Marloth Park Tourism is a company that was formed to protect accommodation owners, as well as holidaymakers planning on staying over in Marloth Park, against scamsters. Carmen Theunissen, a director of Marloth Park Tourism, said the frustration they have been experiencing with the prosecution of Maritz is that the various investigating officers in the different towns might not be aware of similar charges lodged against her in other towns.

“That is why we are thankful to Mike Bolhuis for his involvement. He and his investigators are assisting the police in their investigations,” she said. Last week, one of the complainants told Corridor Gazette that she had been approached by a man who described himself as “a friend of Maritz’s family”. He approached her at a magistrate’s court where she was to give evidence in her case against Maritz.

“He urged me to drop my charges against Larissa Maritz, but I refused.” The complainant asked to stay anonymous, as she feared victimisation from this man. But the man did not leave after their discussion. “He was still watching me. If I walked somewhere, I saw that he was following me and watching me. This really scared me, but I managed to get in my car and drive away while this man was out of sight for a moment.”

She said she was too afraid to go home in case he was following her. The man also called her on her cellphone, but she blocked his number. Corridor Gazette has his phone number and managed to obtain his name with Truecaller. The newspaper tried to call him for comment, but he does not answer these calls and the phone does not take messages.

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The alleged family member negotiated on Maritz’s behalf to have the charge against her withdrawn if she repaid the money she took. Bolhuis said that is nonsense. “We are urging members of the public who have had dealings with her and feel they have been wronged to register cases against her. Please see this in a very serious light. Whether there is R100 or thousands of rand in question, lay a charge against her.

“Even if you can afford to lose a couple hundred of rand, if you add up scams, it comes to a huge amount. There are too many swindlers in the country. I don’t have to tell you that our current economic climate can do without this type of thing.”

Bolhuis said people should not do business with Maritz or people like her. “Make sure who you are dealing with before you pay or lose any money. If you intend doing online business with someone who is not a well-known online vendor, do some homework first. Ask for second – and even third – opinions on this person or business.

“And remember: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Only deal with well-known and reputable brands. “You will not believe to what extent swindlers will go to in scams. Falsified IDs and fake registration documents for vehicles are nothing new.”

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In the past, Maritz allegedly also operated scams in which she advertised liquor and tobacco products on Facebook during the hard lockdown. Unsuspecting members of the public would then pay money into a back account for her, but the liquor and cigarettes were never delivered.

Jan Roos has been tasked by Bolhuis to assist in the Marloth Park scams allegedly perpetrated by Maritz.

“Maritz used at least seven different telephone numbers in the Marloth Park scams,” Roos said. “We are also aware of at least eight false identities she used.”

Attempts to speak to Maritz have proven unsuccessful.

List of aliases used by Maritz:

1. Seun Divan Rust
2. Melandrie
3. Michalene Pretorius
4. Mariska Maritz
5. Jenny Pretorius
6. Vanessa Opperman
7. Jean-Pierre Pretorius
8. Sam Klopper
9. Liehanke Bekker
10. Jeandray du Plessis.