A family from Malvern in Durban, who have been accused of operating a Ponzi scheme in which they hoodwinked hundreds of people, made their first appearance in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court recently.

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, KZN spokesperson for the NPA, says it is alleged that between January 2014 and November 2015, Ashlin Hardin, Raj Hardin and Shakila Hardin promised investors exorbitant interest rates on investments in a petroleum company.

Ramkisson-Kara says that at some stage, the family was unable to sustain the pay-outs and the scheme collapsed.

“The family together with four companies appeared on charges of fraud, amounting to about R7.8m. They are also charged with the contravention of the Banks Act and the Financial Advisory And Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act,” explains Ramkisson-Kara.

Two of the alleged victims of the Hardin family approached the Rising Sun Chatsworth, explaining how they have been put through hell as they witnessed their investments crumble before them.

One of the victims, a well-known pastor who wished to remain anonymous, says he was conned into investing more than R400 000.

“We were all approached by the family’s agents, who received a percentage of whatever we invested if they managed to get us on board.

“Thereafter we met with the Hardin family, who assured us that there was no way that we could lose our money. We would be receiving an interest rate monthly and had the option to cash out whenever we wanted to.

“However, myself and many others only received our money for one or two months before the payments stopped. When we questioned this, Ashlin would speak to us and assure us that we would receive our money in due time, giving us letters which indicated this promise, but nothing came of it,” says the pastor.

Another victim, who also wished to remain anonymous, alleges he is part of a group of 38 individuals, who were scammed by the family and are being represented by the same advocate.

He is of the opinion that there are more victims than the 38 represented in court.

“Although we are 38, these people have scammed hundreds of others of an amount far exceeding the R7,8m that they are accused of.

He claims that the Hardin’ victims range from teachers to policemen who invested amounts, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of rand.

“People have lost cars, houses, families and even experienced death in some cases where they either had an illness and could not afford medical fees or just the results of the stress of losing your possessions,” claims the man.

In court, Ashlin was granted bail of R20 000, while his parents were granted bail of R15 000 each. Their bail condition stipulate that they do not interfere or communicate with witnesses.

The matter returns to court on July 12.