Alleged scammers arrested in Hartenbos after card cloning
Action by members of the police's Sea Border Unit in Mossel Bay and Philip Mattheus from the Da Gamaskop Community Policing Forum, and Francois Goussard from Baytrack, led to the arrest of two alleged scammers on Monday, 11 March, at the Hartenbos Seefront.
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Kappie Kapp, said in a statement that Warrant Officer Arno du Plessis, Sergeant Shaun Botha and Constable Vuyisile Kotso from the unit responded to an alert.
According to reports, the assailants allegedly swindled victims out of an undisclosed amount of money, using a card cloning machine.
The suspects fled the scene of the alleged crime, at an ATM in Oudtshoorn, and the vehicle they used was later seen in the Mossel Bay area.
Goussard said that with the help of resources from the Mossel Bay Joint
Operations Centre as well as the National Vehicle Intelligence Cloud (Navic), they were able to track the vehicle to Hartenbos Seefront.
He remained with the vehicle while Mattheus followed the suspects who had gone into one of the shops. They were able to keep an eye on the vehicle and suspects until the police arrived.
Kapp confirmed that two suspects, aged 55 and 32, were arrested at the Hartenbos
Seefront at 15:30.
Mossel Bay Sea Border Unit management lauded the efforts of the officers and those of others involved. The suspects will soon appear in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate’s Court on fraud-related charges.
Members of the public are reminded not to accept assistance from strangers at ATMs. Rather use another ATM or an ATM inside a bank, where possible, if you feel unsure or unsafe.