Johannesburg - Traffic offenders who fear being locked up have fallen victim to a scam extorting money from them.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi warned motorists against responding to text messages urging them to call certain police officers as cases had been opened against them.
Those who responded to the messages were informed that warrants of arrest had been issued for traffic fines and that they needed to deposit certain amounts into Absa and FNB accounts, said Mulaudzi.
“Once they respond to the numbers that are provided by the fraudsters, money is extorted from them,” Mulaudzi added.
He said authorities became aware of the scam in January when a case was reported at the Rosebank police station, which then led to other similar matters being reported.
“It was followed by other cases with the same modus operandi that were reported in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, North West, and Limpopo,” he said.
Those who have received these types of text messages are advised to contact their nearest police station.
Alternatively, they could contact Detective Lieutenant DK Hattingh of the National Investigation Unit on 079 695 0293 or email [email protected].
Account numbers provided are 62017066201 for FNB and 4054021171 for Absa.
Mulaudzi could not immediately be reached for comment regarding the number of people who had fallen victim to the scam and how much money the fraudsters managed to extort from them.
The Star