60-year-old teacher swindled of pension money in dating scam

A 60-year-old teacher in Polokwane has been scammed of more than R800,000 of her pension money in an alleged dating scam.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has warned women about the rapid increase in dating scam incidents in Limpopo.

Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Matimba Maluleke said according to the teacher who was employed by the Limpopo education department, , she met the suspect at a shopping complex in Polokwane at the beginning of the year.

“The suspect allegedly proposed love to the victim, who was due for retirement at the age of 60 in June this year. The victim alleged that while waiting for her pension payout in September, she visited the suspect at his rented house in Ivy Park,” said Maluleke.

She alleged she was taken to a room in the house by the suspect so t she could be introduced to ancestors.

“While inside the room, the victim alleged she heard a voice telling her she had been suffering for a very long time, but her suffering was over as there was R3.8m waiting for her,” he said.

Maluleke said the woman alleged the suspect kept asking her to redeem her R3.8m.

She paid R800,000 to the suspect but became suspicious.

The teacher went back to his home, only to find no-one was there.

“When she inquired with neighbours about his whereabouts, they told her the suspect came with a moving truck, took his stuff and left,” said Maluleke.

He said many dating scam frauds are reported to the Hawks. He advised potential victims, particularly well-off single and widowed women, to be careful.

Maluleke said scammers target:

• Women with stable jobs (they convince them to resign).
• Women who are recently divorced and have acquired assets (they convince them to register assets under their names or sell them).
• Women who are in business (they come up with fake business proposals that need funding).
• Women who have inherited wealth.
• Women who are about to retire.
• Women who are widows.

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