POLOKWANE – Thanks to the quick response by staff at a cell phone branch in a local shopping mall, the man believed to have cloned Moss’s identity appeared in court last Wednesday.
A man in possession of a fake Identity Document (ID) in Moss’s name, entered the store last week to subscribe to a cell phone contract.
The Manager of the store, Severiano Heyman, who alerted Moss, said the man had a brand new ID and bank statements. He immediately knew something was amiss.
“When we looked at the bank statements it said the man resided in Bendor, Johannesburg and that is when I knew the man was trying to con us. There is no such address.”
Heyman says he scanned the ID under the UV light and confirmed it was fraudulent.
“I then got hold of Colin’s number, phoned him and alerted the police,” said Heyman.
The police entered the store as undercover officials and arrested the man after he had signed the contract and attempted to leave the store with the new phone.
Sales Consultant Giles Stander said he got a feeling that something was not right when the man walked into the store, “he was acting dodgy and was very nervous”.
Polokwane Police Spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala confirmed the police are investigating a case of fraud against a 39-year-old man.
“He was arrested on 18 May and appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court the following day,” said Phala. The case has been remanded to 31 May.
Moss expressed his gratitude to the store, thanking them on social media.
Well done (&THANK YOU!!) to the on-the-ball staff at CellC Savannah Mall, Polokwane for reporting the fraudster. @CellC
— (((Colin Moss)))🌻 (@ColinMossSA) May 24, 2016
