Police are searching for a man posing as a police officer and attempting to extort money from victims.

The con artist, who introduces himself as Captain Naidoo from Umhlali Police Station, primarily targets family men. He calls them, claiming they have been accused of rape, and then hands the phone to a woman. She tells the victims that the case can be withdrawn if they pay her a sum of money.

Umhlali Community Policing Forum acting chairperson Josha Daniel is alarmed about the potential consequences of these scams.

“This causes conflict between couples. My biggest fear is that this results in domestic violence. In one case, a wife moved out of their home in KwaDukuza and the husband had to work hard to prove he was not involved with the woman accusing him of rape,” said Daniel.

Similar scams have been reported before. Early last year, the Courier reported on a man impersonating then-Umhlali police spokesperson, Captain Vinny Pillay. He scammed more than 50 people across the province, including a Tongaat resident who paid him R3 000 and two Ballito residents who lost R2 000 and R9 000, respectively.

That imposter typically targeted business owners, requesting donations for the poor and instructing them to transfer money into his account via Capitec or TymeBank.

A similar case occurred in 2021 when a scammer posing as “Captain Selvin Gounden” attempted to extort money from KwaDukuza residents for allegedly violating Covid-19 regulations. Victims were told to pay a fine or face arrest.

Daniel urged anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to be a police officer and demanding money, to call Umhlali Police Station at 032 061 0333.

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