Woman loses R800 000 in cell scam

2012-07-19 16:28

(File)

Johannesburg - A total of R800 000 was transferred out of a Kempton Park woman's paid-up mortgage account in a cellphone scam, the Beeld reported on Thursday.

The woman, Rensu Nel, an education specialist at the Gauteng education department, told the newspaper she received strange phone calls.

"I turned my phone off after a man continued to call me without saying anything. A filthy SMS was also sent to my phone."

When Nel later tried to switch her phone on, she could not and later realised that her phone had been blocked.

Nel became suspicious after a stranger phoned her to inform her that he lost R200 000 after someone used his number to phone her number.

The newspaper reported that fraudsters transferred the money, in two separate amounts of R500 000 and R300 000, out of her Absa mortgage-account on Monday, and into Standard Bank and Nedbank accounts.

Absa referred Nel to its fraud unit. The bank confirmed it was investigating, but told Beeld it could not provide any information to the media.

SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) spokesperson Bongani Diako told the newspaper fraudsters operated by swapping sim cards with service providers and then blocking the old sim cards.

"They will get a temporary number, obtain bank information, and commit fraud."

Diako said Sabric would work with mobile service providers to stop this fraud.

- SAPA