Convicted inmates have been running an extortion scam from their prison cells. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria - Being behind bars has not stopped four convicted inmates from running an extortion scam from their prison cells, and getting men to pay thousands into accounts they set up.
The scam was uncovered last week by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team, who said the men – from two Pretoria correctional facilities – had been operating for three months targeting men by using the fake identities they had taken from unsuspecting police officers.
“The four, aged between 26 and 32, will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today, and more arrests are imminent,” the Hawks said after the arrest.
The Hawks were assisted by the Emergency Support Team from the Gauteng Department of Correctional Services, and together they executed the joint operation simultaneously, at the Odi and Baviaanspoort Correctional Centres in Mabopane and Pretoria, respectively, on Thursday night.
“The operation was aimed at conducting a cybercrime search and seizure, and executing warrants of arrest on four convicted inmates on an assortment of charges that include extortion, impersonation of a police officer, money laundering, forgery and uttering.
“This follows an in-depth investigation into corrupt police officers allegedly extorting money from several male victims, who had sought the services of a clandestine online escort agency.
“The victims would later be informed by someone purporting to be a police officer that a case of rape and fraud has been opened against them, as they used fake money to pay the sex workers,” the Hawks said.
The prisoners would also present a fake warrant of arrest through WhatsApp, and demanded payment to ensure that the police along with the prosecutor made the cases disappear.
The investigation of the events which spanned the period between May and August this year, revealed that the syndicate of inmates with cellphones allegedly created profiles of police officers using the combination of both their names and photos taken from their social media profiles.
“They further sourced a call log from an online-based escort agency continuously to contact the victims who paid them in fear of prosecution.
“Between May and August, R760 000 and R560 000 had been paid into two separate accounts provided to the victims to deposit the money.”
During the search, multiple smartphones were found on each of the four suspects and were seized by the Hawks for further investigation.
“A total of 36 cellphones, 19 chargers and other accessories were also found from other inmates in the same cells and seized by the Department of Correctional Services.”
An appeal has been made to anyone who could have fallen prey to this kind of extortion, to come forward and contact detective Captain Jacques Loock on 082 778 5626.
The Hawks Provincial Head in Gauteng, Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the team for the meticulous investigation and their collaborative efforts that ensured the successful arrest and seizure of items used in the commission of crime. Kadwa warned that those who used the services of sex workers and willingly paid the police to evade arrest would face corruption charges if they did not co-operate with the police investigation.
Pretoria News