'Beware of khaki collectors'

2007-12-04 15:51

Johannesburg - Khaki-clad fraudsters posing as national park officials are taking "donations" from unwary shoppers at malls in Johannesburg, SA National Parks warned on Tuesday.

"We would like to call the public's attention to a fraudulent fund-raising scam currently circulating in shopping centres and other public places in the Johannesburg area," SANParks said in a statement.

It had received reports of men in khaki clothing soliciting donations on their behalf, and claiming SANParks was "raising money for a major game translocation in the Kruger National Park to prevent them from being poisoned".

However, no such project was currently underway.

"SANParks would like to request the public not to donate any funds to anybody purporting to be representing the organisation," it said.

It called on the public to report such activities to the toll-free national security fraud hotline [phone]).

- SAPA