Mpumalanga SAPS warns community about pyramid schemes
Three people were scammed out of almost R100 000 when they invested it in a bogus account. The police appeal to community members to report scammers immediately.
Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, the acting provincial police commissioner, has issued a warning to community members about the resurgence of pyramid schemes in the province.
The call came after three individuals, aged between 26 and 51, lost almost R100 000 in KaMhlushwa.
According to a provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the victims were scammed from August to October.
“The first victim alleged that she saw an application on her phone inviting people to invest money with a lucrative return in a short period of time. She tried her luck and indeed received returns. She was then tempted to invest more money and shared the information with her two friends who also invested. A few days later, they realised that the application was no longer active. They went to the bank to enquire about the account and learnt that the account had been blocked. It dawned on them they were scammed and they reported the matter to the police.”
He said people should immediately report any suspicious activities to the police by calling the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111 or sending information via the My SAPS app.
“All received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous,” said Mdhluli.
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Mkhwanazi has issued a strong warning to community members to be cautious of unrealistically lucrative offers, as they will only bring calamity. He said community members must refrain from being lured by so-called ‘products’ that will propel people to recruit others in making investments without clear product information on what is sold or what is on the market.
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“We urge our people to do thorough research and verify credentials of companies they want to invest in before doing something they will regret at a later stage,” he said.
