Swindling money from unsuspecting victims on dating sites is not only on the rise‚ but forms part of a bigger syndicate‚ says elite police agency the Hawks.
The Hawks have warned users of online dating sites to be wary of depositing money into bank accounts of ‘potential suitors’‚ saying the number of fraud cases related to online dating is a cause for concern.
Seven women have been discovered to have been conned by a Nigerian national based in Cape Town‚ Ikechukwu Dibie.
Also read: Woman wires R17 million to an online lover she has never met
Dibie‚ 36 used online dating sites to target his victims — women in their fifties — by pretending to be looking for a relationship with them.
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda of the Hawks said he believed there were more victims‚ but most of them were too embarrassed to come forward.
Netshiunda said Dibie was part of a bigger syndicate that involved South Africans recruiting people to open up banking accounts for foreign nationals in exchange for cash. The syndicate also included sim-card fraud‚ phishing and identity theft.
Netshiunda said the Hawks believed the hub of the syndicate was based in Cape Town.
“No matter where the [bank] accounts are opened‚ the money is withdrawn in Cape Town.
“They then use these accounts to transfer and withdraw the money they have acquired fraudulently‚” said Netshiunda.
Netshiunda said more arrests were to follow.
Online dating - love that might cost you
Swindling money from unsuspecting victims on dating sites is not only on the rise‚ but forms part of a bigger syndicate‚ says elite police agency the Hawks.
The Hawks have warned users of online dating sites to be wary of depositing money into bank accounts of ‘potential suitors’‚ saying the number of fraud cases related to online dating is a cause for concern.
Seven women have been discovered to have been conned by a Nigerian national based in Cape Town‚ Ikechukwu Dibie.
Also read: Woman wires R17 million to an online lover she has never met
Dibie‚ 36 used online dating sites to target his victims — women in their fifties — by pretending to be looking for a relationship with them.
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda of the Hawks said he believed there were more victims‚ but most of them were too embarrassed to come forward.
Netshiunda said Dibie was part of a bigger syndicate that involved South Africans recruiting people to open up banking accounts for foreign nationals in exchange for cash. The syndicate also included sim-card fraud‚ phishing and identity theft.
Netshiunda said the Hawks believed the hub of the syndicate was based in Cape Town.
“No matter where the [bank] accounts are opened‚ the money is withdrawn in Cape Town.
“They then use these accounts to transfer and withdraw the money they have acquired fraudulently‚” said Netshiunda.
Netshiunda said more arrests were to follow.
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