South Africa has become a haven for operators of an infamous international email fraud scheme that has reaped a known R100-million from gullible victims in the past year alone.
Criminals from various parts of Africa have set up shop in the country as they try to lure people from around the world into fraudulent deals involving advance fees, also known as the "419" scam or advance-fee fraud. The scheme is named after the relevant section of the Nigerian criminal code that outlaws the practice.
According to the South African Police Service and National Intelligence Agency (NIA), foreigners were being lured to South Africa and then defrauded. Among the bigger cases was a Nigerian syndicate that had conned a British citizen out of R32-million, an American out of R6-million and a Canadian out of R5-million.
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In South Africa last year more than R100-million worth of known fraud transactions took place. Figures for January indicate that similar transactions have almost reached R5-million.
Conned a British citizen out of R32-million Selby Bokaba, the spokesperson for the national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, said despite numerous warnings, recipients of scam letters had fallen victim to fraudsters. "It is a serious problem - that's why we set up a commercial crimes unit to probe the scam, and have enjoyed unprecedented success," he said.
Successes in the fight against the scam show just how widespread it is: during the past two years police have caught about 250 fraudsters, most of whom were from Nigeria. So far 18 people have been convicted and jailed.
The Scorpions and the Asset Forfeiture Unit have also been involved in clamping down on ringleaders, in one major breakthrough seizing the Johannesburg home and vehicles of a Nigerian who was the kingpin behind an operation involving almost R50 million.
'Even South Africans are running 419 scams'
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