Facebook users are warned to be careful of imposters luring women under false pretences, promising them employment.

This comes after a Pretoria woman was kidnapped and raped after she was scammed.

Pretoria Rekord reports that, according to police, a 24-year-old Facebook imposter was arrested this month and appeared in the Bolobedu Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe says the accused allegedly trafficked women from Gauteng to Limpopo on false promises of employment opportunities.

She says on May 19, a fast-thinking member of the public acted quickly to alert police about a female friend who had been lured under false pretences, kidnapped and raped repeatedly.

“The male friend reported to police that his female friend had fallen prey to a dating scam [in which] this suspect was using a fake Facebook account to lure women.”

She says, according to the victim, the accused used the name ‘Jeff Rals’ on Facebook and used a picture and identity that belonged to someone else.

“He met the victim in Pretoria, [but] immediately when the victim realised that the individual looked different from his Facebook profile, the scammer lied and said he was a driver sent by his brother, Jeff Rals, to pick her up,” says Mathe.

She says the scammer then drove to Limpopo with the victim and proceeded to rape her repeatedly at his homestead.

“The victim was also extorted financially,” she says.

Mathe says police in Limpopo were contacted and a team was mobilised immediately to search for the victim.

“Within five hours of establishing this search party, the victim and kidnapper were traced to a filling station in Giyani. The conman had run out of petrol and did not have funds to fill up his motor vehicle.”

She says the accused is being held in custody and will appear in court again on May 26, as other victims are also coming forward, and an identity parade is imminent.

Mathe says SAPS is warning online dating users to be extra cautious.

“Online dating scams can often lead to requests to meet online lovers, which could result in a kidnapping incident.

“These scammers often make the victim feel as though they have a genuine relationship. Once trust has been established, the scammer often requests money or to meet the victim, which results in a kidnapping incident, just like in this case.”

She says those who have fallen victim to the Facebook imposter are encouraged to come forward.

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