Cops warn of new fraud scam

2007-11-27 12:42

Durban - Police in Pietermaritzburg issued a fraud warning on Tuesday after financial institutions in the area reported numerous cases of the new "over deposit refund scam", police said.

Police spokesperson Inspector Joey Jeevan said a fax was sent to a potential victim by a person pretending to be from South African Revenue Service (SARS) or Telkom.

"In the fax they say a certain amount of money has been paid in error into the victim's account and the unsuspecting victim is then instructed to refund SARS or Telkom," said Jeevan.

"The victim generally pays the amount after he/she notices that an amount has been deposited into his/her bank account. Later, the bank informs the victim that the deposit was a stolen cheque deposit and was not legitimate," she said.

Jeevan said numerous cases had been reported thus far, involving different banks.

"We don't have a figure right now and are busy collecting all the information, but those who have been scammed in this way need to contact the police so that investigations can get under way," she said.

- SAPA