A woman singlehandedly apprehended a scammer who allegedly transferred R350 out of her account on Black Friday in Verulam, north of Durban, KZN.

According to Prem Balram, the spokesperson from Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), the woman called Rusa while she was holding onto the suspect in the Verulam CBD.

“She explained that she had left the Department of Labour and was walking to the taxi rank when she was approached by two men.

“They convinced her that they were employed at a marketing company contracted to two supermarkets.

“They said their client was giving away discount vouchers to create brand awareness. The vouchers would need to be loaded onto her cell phone to determine the amount she qualified for,” says Balram.

The woman grew suspicious when she noticed she was being distracted by the second man.

“At one stage, she was asked to verify her fingerprints in order for the voucher to be loaded.

“The woman then advised the men that she was no longer interested in the deal and requested that her cell phone be handed back to her.

“When the man continued using her phone, she snatched it from him and discovered that he was on her banking application.

“She then called out to the public for assistance.

“One of the men fled while she held onto his accomplice. She then contacted Rusa for assistance,” says Balram.

It is alleged that the man had used her banking app to transfer money to a cell phone number.

“Officers interviewed the suspect, who claimed to have a degree in geography and anthropology.

“He could not provide details of his employer or his accomplice. He also did not have a cell phone in his possession,” Balram says.

He adds that a passerby at the scene told Rusa members that four other people had fallen prey to the same scam in the Verulam CBD on Black Friday.

The man was handed over to the Verulam SAPS for further investigation.