Kang Police are hunting a suspected conman believed to have duped a young nurse out of P210, 000 by pretending to be a Forex trader who could double her money.
Instead, he took it all and fled!
The complainant, a 27-year-old nurse based at Hukuntsi Primary Hospital, reportedly met the scammer online, accepting a Facebook friend request he sent her in October 2024.
Although they never met in person, the pair built-up a rapport and were in regular correspondence on social media.
Within four months, the nurse trusted her online acquaintance enough to take out a loan and send him a small fortune.
According to Kang Station Commander, Solomon Lesedi, the transfer took place on 25 January.
The suspect proposed the victim get into Forex trading, promising her that the money will double. The woman applied for a P230, 000 loan and sent the suspect P210, 000 for trading, remaining with P20, 000,” revealed Superintendent Lesedi.
The money was sent to an FNB Bank Account.
The nurse’s suspicions grew when, after receiving the money, the ‘trader’ stopped responding to her messages.
“Unfortunately, after several attempts to contact the suspect, she started to suspect she had been swindled and later reported the incident before the police,” explained the top cop, adding she finally alerted the authorities on Thursday 8 May.
Two weeks later, and the police are yet to make an arrest in connection with the incident.
If caught, the fraudster will be charged with obtaining by false pretences.
The nurse is the latest victim tricked out of a large sum of money recently.
Police have warned of a trending new scam in which criminals send members of the public a text message claiming their bank account has been frozen due to an outdated Bank App.
The scammers then provide a link where the victim can update their details, which includes disclosing personal banking information; once the scammers have access to this, they proceed to make unauthorised transactions from the victim’s account.
Botswana Police Service (BPS) revealed a 54-year-old man was conned out of over P200, 000 in Maun on 25 March, while, in a
similar incident in Letlhakane, a woman aged 46 lost close to P160, 000.
Assistant Commissioner, Near Bagali, urged the public to refrain from sharing personal banking details with anyone, avoid clicking on suspicious links sent via text messages or email, verify directly with their banks before making any banking dealings and report suspicious activity to the nearest police station or their bank immediately.
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