THE Durban North CPF has urged residents to be aware of an extortion scam where a suspect pretends to be a SAPS official with a ‘warrant for your arrest’.

While there have been no recorded cases at the Durban North police station, there were two unsuccessful attempts to trick residents into handing over money.

Public relation officer for the CPF, Darryl Oliver, explained that suspects reach out via telephone or WhatsApp and ask for money to make the ‘charges’ go away.

Common scam in north Durban: Durban North SAPS warns of vishing scams

“They make contact with a victim and claim to be in possession of a warrant of arrest for you and they will be coming to arrest you shortly. The ‘charges’ vary between assault, sexual assualt and prostitution. The officer who claims to be a detective will then say he can make the case dissapear for a sum of money from R1000 upwards,” he said.

The scam artists either ask the victim to EFT or use an eWallet to send the money.

“It is important to note, SAPS do not WhatsApp to alert you of a crime you allegedly committed. When in doubt, ask yourself, ‘Did I commit that crime?’. If the answer is no, then there is a definite possibility that there is no warrant.”

Oliver urged residents that if they are called, to not engage and block the scammer or report the matter to their nearest station as well as to the CPF.

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