Fraudsters make millions from Covid-19 protective gear scams

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As the country went into lockdown in March and the demand for personal protective equipment increased, several scams emerged, targeting companies and government departments in need of surgical masks, sanitisers and gloves

City Press knows of at least nine cases in which companies parted with money for protective gear to fraudsters who claimed to be manufacturing the equipment.

Private investigator Chad Thomas, chief executive of IRS Forensic Investigations, told City Press that he had been approached by several companies asking for his help to try to trace the fraudsters, who had disappeared with the money. Thomas said the modus operandi included circulating “pictures and videos of the purported PPE that they had in stock, but these pictures and videos were used by different criminal syndicates and were in all probability pictures and videos of other legitimate suppliers’ stock”.

“I spent lots of time phoning around to source the PPE and searched the internet. I came across a company called Alpha Chem, which, according to its website, manufactured the surgical masks.” “I have laid a case of fraud and have contacted Capitec Bank to freeze the account, but at the time there was only R60 000 left in their bank account,” the executive said.

Police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said of one case: “The complainant alleged that on April 21 he started to communicate with a medical supply company that appeared to have the goods that the company needed. The complainant was told by the company rep that they had stock and that he had to deposit the money for delivery.

 

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