Couple nabbed for fake claim of life insurance 23 years ago
R1.7m paid after wife reported hubby’s ‘death’
A Gauteng couple has been arrested for allegedly benefiting from faking death to claim from an insurance policy 23 years ago.
Robbie Smith, 67, who went by the alias Chris Boshoff, and his wife Alice Abigail Boshoff, 59, appeared in the Knysna magistrate’s court yesterday for faking Smith’s death in 1999. The case will be transferred to the Kempton Park magistrate’s court next week.
The couple claimed R1.7m for his [Smith’s] death which was paid out by Old Mutual before they disappeared.
Hawks spokesperson Capt Lloyd Ramovha said the couple lived in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, when Smith’s fake death was reported.
“He reportedly died from a motor vehicle accident in Vosloorus (also in Ekurhuleni). Consequently, an insurance claim was registered at Old Mutual leading to a payout of just over R1.7m,’’ said Ramovha.
He said the couple left Gauteng after they received the money and settled in Knysna, Western Cape. Knysna is part of the region known as the Garden Route, a favourite tourist destination for domestic and international holidaymakers.
“The couple quietly left Gauteng after receiving the windfall. They eventually settled in Knysna,” Ramovha added.
“Around 2020, Old Mutual was tipped off about the possibility that they were scammed as Smith was apparently very much alive.’’
Ramovha said following an internal probe, a docket of fraud was registered in October 2020, and assigned to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime department for investigation.
“The team tirelessly traced the couple to a hideout in Knysna leading to their arrest on Tuesday, November 8, on a court order.
“Upon searching their place, two unlicensed firearms were recovered. A case of unlawful possession of firearms has now been included,” Ramovha said the couple will be transferred to a Gauteng court to face a charge of fraud next week.