With the high incidence of ATM fraud and drug use in Potchefstroom, the NW Hawks held an ATM fraud and drugs awareness campaign last Thursday.
Even though the Hawks have made inroads in fighting ATM fraud, the provincial head of the Hawks, Maj. Gen. Mbana says it is imperative to address the community about the prevalence of the crime and how to avoid falling into the trap.
She says the Hawks have arrested ten suspects in North West since January. They have also confiscated three scamming devices and managed to recover fifty cloned cards.
Mbana says it’s nearing the festive season and the Hawks will always strive for a crime-free province.

According to the provincial spokesperson, Capt. Tlangelani Rikhotso, the Potch campaign took the form of interactive gatherings where community members could have one-on-one engagement with members of the Hawks. The sessions were held in Ikageng Gate, Cachet Park, Moorivier Mall and the taxi rank. ‘Among other tips, the community was warned not to use ATMs that appear to have been tampered with. They were also warned to firmly decline the assistance of strangers at the ATM,’ she said. On the issue of drugs, Mbana says drugs affect our children, our communities, our province and our country as a whole. ‘Let us work together to curb the scourge of drugs,’ she said. Capt. Mvula Chaka of Potchefstroom SAPS told the community that all drugs are dangerous. ‘There is no such thing as “soft drugs” and it is easy to get addicted,’ he said.
At the taxi rank, the community raised issues with the Hawks including their dissatisfaction with the police officials whom, they suspect, are also involved in drug dealings. In response, Capt. Galane advised the community to report corrupt police officials at the Hawks anti-corruption unit. For more information on avoiding being a victim of ATM fraud and skimming, identity fraud, email hacking and other crimes, please log onto www.sabric.co.za.
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