Inmates charged with scamming users of online prostitution service

Four convicted inmates aged between 26 and 32 have been charged with running an extortion scam from prison.

According to Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Philani Nkwalase, the four have been behind a scam that targeted men who used a secret online prostitution service. The inmates would pose as police officers.

“The victims would later be informed by someone purporting to be a police officer that a case of rape and fraud was open against them as they used fake money to pay the sex workers. They would also present a fake warrant of arrest through WhatsApp and demand payment to ensure that the police, along with the prosecutor, make the cases disappear,” Nkwalase said.

According to Nkwalase, their investigation revealed that a syndicate of inmates with cellphones allegedly created profiles of police officers using the combination of their names and photos taken from social media profiles of unsuspecting cops.

“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 2022, the amounts of R760,000 and R560,000 had been paid into two accounts provided to the victims to deposit the money,” he said. 

Nkwalase said the four were arrested at Odi and Baviaanspoort correctional centres in Mabopane and Pretoria respectively on Thursday night, during a joint operation of the Hawks and an emergency support team (EST) from the Gauteng department of correctional services (DCS).

He said the operation was aimed at conducting a cybercrime search and seizure as well as executing warrants of arrest to four convicted inmates on an assortment of charges that include extortion, impersonating a police officer, money laundering, forgery and uttering.

According to Nkwalase, during the search, multiple smartphones were found on each of the four suspects and were seized for further investigation.

“A total of 36 cellphones, 19 chargers and other accessories were also found from other inmates in the same cells and were seized by the DCS EST.”

Police are requesting anyone who has fallen prey to this kind of extortion to come forward and contact the detective, Capt Jacques Loock, on 082-778-5626.

The four inmates are to appear in Pretoria magistrate’s court on Monday, with the Hawks saying more arrests are imminent.

Hawks head in Gauteng, Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the team for the meticulous investigation. He warned that those who used the services of sex workers and willingly paid the police to evade arrest would face the full might of the law. 

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