Citzens have been warned against falling victim to fraudsters who use traditional beliefs to scam people.
This comes as the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) advised of a growing trend in which con artists abuse cultural beliefs to take advantage of the believers’ financial desperation.
Head of product development at the SAFPS Nazia Karrim said the Hawks specialised 419-Scams Task Team had reported the emergence of “ancestry” scams, and approached the SAFPS to help inform the public of the threat.
“The modus operandi is intricate and malicious. The victim is told to bring a set amount of cash in a bag when visiting the sangoma, which will be cleansed and blessed by the ancestors.
“On arrival, the sangoma requests the victim, as part of the ritual, to drink a cleansing herbal remedy, containing hallucinogens where they reportedly hear the voices of their ancestors, prompting them to hand over the bag full of cash to the sangoma.
“The sangoma blesses the money which miraculously doubles in value.
The scammers, unbeknown to the intoxicated victim, add the additional cash into the bag during the ritual, leading the victim to believe the ruse,” said Karrim.
The African National Healers Association said it had been inundated by calls in recent months from people who had fallen victim to the scams.
Director Willem Bronkhorst said people didn’t ask whether a healer was registered or a South African but were overwhelmed by the scammers.
“They abuse and exploit people to huge extents, some are even selling their assets to pay these fake healers.
People should pay more attention to who they give their money to and do proper research. The majority of them are not registered.
“There is a council that will be created where all the healers will be registered and people should familiarise themselves with these verified organisations.”
He said people of all races had fallen victim to the scammers.
“It’s a tough dilemma and I sometimes feel like crying. It starts small and they hook you up and you become so entangled in their scams. These scammers are so good at this, even prominent people are being scammed.”
Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) provincial secretary Chief Lungelo Nokwaza said: “People have to be cautious and they should go to people with a track record who are known by the community.
They should not just go with the first person who touches certain buttons because scammers are becoming more smart. People should do their research on who they associate with in this regard.”
Cape Times