Johannesburg - Fake R100 notes are circulating Joburg and the Gauteng SAPS is asking the public for help in identifying their source.
The police are working on five cases involving counterfeit money and have established a task team to see whether these cases are linked and share a set of suspects.
Investigators are looking for people in the city who have fallen victim to a counterfeiting scam and have called on anyone who has discovered that they have been given fake R100 notes to come forward.
Last Friday, the police arrested Storm Britz and Tegwin Zeth Deacon after finding they were in possession of more than R14 000 in counterfeit money and equipment the police say may have been used in counterfeiting the cash.
The couple were arrested late that day after their reckless driving through Lanseria caught the attention of the police at a roadblock.
When the car was searched, the police found R800 in suspicious-looking notes.
What the officers didn’t expect was to find thousands more in counterfeit money when they raided a guest house the couple were staying at.
They also confiscated a custom printer, ink cartridges and scanners.
The couple were charged with fraud and counterfeiting and had further charges of contravening the Treasury Act made against them when they appeared at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
While police spokesman Warrant Officer Daniel Mavimbela said the pair’s case was part of an umbrella investigation, he would not be drawn on whether they were linked to the other cases.
“The police are consolidating all the cases where fake bank notes were reportedly used.
“An identification parade will be held soon to establish if there is a link between the cases reported,” he said.
While The Star has learnt that Deacon and Britz have been linked to two other fraud cases, it’s unclear if these are part of the five being investigated.
According to Mavimbela, many of the cases involved the purchasing of electronic goods.
“A man allegedly sold an iPhone 5 for R3 500. He was paid a cash amount made up of R100 notes and one R200 note. He went to make a cash deposit at an ATM, but only the R200 note was accepted,” said Mavimbela.
“Elsewhere, three men allegedly had their gadgets bought with fake money.”
The fake R100 notes are a common feature of complaints registered at various police stations.
While the police are determining the number of outstanding suspects, Deacon and Britz will return to the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday for their bail application.
Earlier this week, The Star reported that several of Deacon’s friends said their interactions with him had made them believe he had a troubled history.
One female friend alleged he had defrauded her then-boyfriend of thousands of rand each month.
The young woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said Deacon had helped her set up a website.
After she paid, he allegedly continued to charge her boyfriend’s credit card each month for more than a year. Sometimes the charges were as high as R7 000 a month.
Anyone with information about the counterfeit money or anyone who has been given fake R100 notes is asked to contact Mavimbela at 071 675 7420 or e-mail him at [email protected].
The Star