DURBAN – Berea detectives are requesting assistance in locating a fraudster who uses a police officer’s photograph to solicit “donations.” The fraudster contacts businesses pretending to be a Captain in the South African Police Service and claims that he works with a non-profit organisation.

His modus operandi is to claim that he has been let down by his sponsors at the last moment and he requires 85 loaves of bread to feed the poor. When the owner of the business agrees to the sponsorship, he forwards them a bank account number via WhatsApp using a serving police officer’s picture as his profile picture to con the sponsor. He does not provide the sponsor with his NPO registration details and insists on cash instead of collecting the bread when sponsors make that suggestion. We believe that he has been operating in Ethekwini and surrounding areas.

We are appealing to anyone who has been approached by this fraudster or knows of his identity to contact Captain Thamie Khoza from the Berea police station on 082 411 6408. We once again urge communities to be mindful of such scams and not to hand over cash to people that they have not met in person. There are a number of registered charities and one should always verify their particulars before making donations.

Source: South African Police Service