SCAM ALERT

BUSINESS people should carefully scrutinise business opportunities “falling into their laps” to ensure they do not become the latest victims of fraud, the police have warned.

This as the police deal with a growing number of cases where people complain of being cheated after being offered tenders.

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said the police were investigating several cases of fraud committed by fraudsters who were milking contractors through fake tenders.

She said although she did not know how many people had been victimised, there had been several cases opened over the past few months. Some had lost large sums of money between R100 000 and R400 000.

She said a con artist would approach business people who have registered companies and inform them that they have been awarded a tender to supply a particular item.

“Criminals are utilising what appears to be letterheads belonging to government departments to defraud unsuspecting business owners,” Gwala said.

She said fraudsters submitted electronic correspondence to the victims on what appeared to be an official document.

She said the product which the business owner had to provide was usually not common.

Fictitious

They are directed to order the product from a specific fictitious manufacturer that is situated outside the province where the victim operates his or her business.

“Sometimes people get tempted when these bogus offers are made and they believe it’s their lucky day when in fact they are about to get robbed blind.

“That is why we are urging them to look more carefully at those opportunities, and they should verify with the relevant government department.

“Tender applicants should be careful when applying for tenders as many people are pretending to represent government departments.

“One must always take note that with government tenders an applicant must be in the database of the department in order to be granted a tender. No person can be awarded a tender without applying for it,” Gwala said.

She said the victim made purchases from the “supplier” and deposited large sums of money into a banking account.

The initial amount for purchases was usually between R100 000 and R400 000.

“After making three to four payments, the complainant becomes suspicious and makes a follow-up call with the relevant department.

“The victim then discovers that the whole tender process was a scam, and by this time the victim has already suffered huge financial losses.

“We are urging all those who have become victims to come forward and open cases,” Gwala said.