Police in the province are investigating cases of fraud, committed by fraudsters with the same modus operandi, who are milking contractors through fake tenders.
Police are warning tender applicants to be careful when applying for tenders, as many people are pretending to represent government departments. One must always take note that with government tenders, an applicant must be in the database of the department in order to be granted a tender.
No person can be awarded a tender without applying for it. People are advised to familiarise themselves with persons who deal with tender applications within the department and make enquiries.
Criminals are utilising what appears to be letterheads belonging to government departments to defraud unsuspecting business owners. Business owners are informed that they have been awarded tenders by government institutions / departments. Correspondence is submitted electronically to the complainant on what appears to be an official document. The products the business owner has to provide are usually items not commonly found.
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The complainant is directed to order the products from a specific fictitious manufacturer/supplier that is situated outside of the province in relation to where the complainant operates his business.
The arrangement is that the supplier will then deliver the product to a specific government department in another province. The complainant makes purchases from the “supplier” and deposits huge sums of money into a banking account.
The initial amount for purchases is usually between R100,000 and R400,000.
The complainant is then influenced to make further purchases/deposits within a short space of time. After making three to four payments/purchases, the complainant becomes suspicious and does a follow-up with the respective department. He/she then discovers that the whole tender process was a scam and by this time, he/she has already suffered huge financial losses.
Police urge anyone defrauded in a similar manner to contact their nearest police station or Crime Stop (0860010111).
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