North West, Fraudster, Court, Hawks

A 59-year-old fraudster who alleged to have been working for the National Empowerment Fund is in court for four counts of fraud. Photos: Flickr and Pexels

Fraudster steals over R120k, businesses paid for petrol to be scammed

A 59-year-old fraudster who alleged to have been working for the National Empowerment Fund is in court for four counts of fraud.

North West, Fraudster, Court, Hawks

A 59-year-old fraudster who alleged to have been working for the National Empowerment Fund is in court for four counts of fraud. Photos: Flickr and Pexels

A fraudster will make her court debut on Friday in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court after allegedly swindling more than R120 000 from businesses. She made promises of greener pastures and fuller business vaults that turned out to be nothing more than a grift.

FRAUDSTER PROMISED ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

A 59-year-old woman was swooped in on by the North West Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and now faces four counts of fraud.

Provincial Hawks spokesperson Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso says the 59-year-old fraudster has been summoned to appear in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

“She faces four counts of fraud worth approximately R121 500. Investigations by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team revealed that the suspected fraudster allegedly purported to be working with the National Empowerment Fund,”

says Captain Rikhotso.

Rikhotso says the fraudster would reportedly approach unknowing businesspeople with offers to help them with their business plans, applications for business funding and sourcing of projects.

The fraudster would charge a R27 000 fee that was allegedly for her services, however, she did not fulfil her promises to her clients.

She would allegedly also charge her victims an additional fee for petrol so she could commit the scam.

HAWKS ARREST TWO FOR FRAUD WORTH R35 MILLION

The Hawks have arrested two fraudsters to the tune of R35 million involving the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

The Hawks’ Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu alleges that in October 2017, 42-year-old Eusuf Fehaaz and 58-year-old David Larkan submitted a fraudulent audit report when applying for funding from the IDC.

Fehaaz is the director of a retail company, while Larkan is his accountant. Mulamu says the company subsequently received a whopping R35 million for development projects, as a result of those the altered audit report.

“Through internal forensic analysis, IDC discovered that the Durban based retail company, Glodine (Pty) LTD did not possess the R10 million surplus in their business bank account as indicated from their audit report. The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Johannesburg for further probing. Authorities successfully restrained the company’s bank transaction movements and a potential R25 million belonging to the entity was effectively secured,”

Mulamu said.