Durban — A private security company responded swiftly resulting in the arrest of an elderly man who was caught selling a property without the owner’s consent.
Swift Private Security said that last Thursday, the company responded to a scam report in the Effingham Heights area at about 4pm after a resident raised concerns about a fake estate agency attempting to sell their vacant property, prompting an investigation.
“Upon inspection, both the original owners and potential buyers uncovered a deceptive scheme involving a fake couple posing as owners and others impersonating an estate agency and attorney,” Swift Private Security said.
Advertising the property on Facebook, organising meetings with potential buyers, and proposing a cash-only transaction formed part of the scam.
“During the property meeting, the potential buyers contacted Swift Private Security. While the officers were on the scene, the buyers observed the fake agent driving past and not stopping at the house where their appointment was about to take place,” Swift Private Security said.
“Multiple Swift Private Security officers swiftly pursued and apprehended the suspect, discovering multiple IDs, birth certificates, death certificates, and other incriminating items in their possession.”
Swift Private Security said that another resident passing by informed the officers that the suspect had attempted a similar scam in the Newlands area.
Greenwood Park SAPS was alerted, and the suspect was promptly transported to the police station for further processing, Swift Private Security said.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that Greenwood Park police arrested a 62-year-old man for fraud on Desai Crescent in Effingham.
“It is alleged that the suspect was selling a property without the consent of the owner,” Netshiunda said.
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