Wedding venue planner arrested for ‘fake weddings scam’

A 53-year-old woman who has allegedly been scamming couples for years was arrested by Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) on Tuesday.

The woman, originally from Shallcross, KwaZulu-Natal, is accused of defrauding at least 17 couples by offering them a wedding venue which she didn't own or manage in Botha's Hill.

Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said the suspect allegedly collected money through electronic funds transfers from the couples for venue hire.

“The venue was booked out to many couples on the same day without the suspect having ownership. Families arrived at the premises on the wedding day to find it was double booked, had no electricity or water and the building was in a dilapidated condition. The suspect would demand money before the venue had been viewed,” said Balram.

A couple from eThekwini were the first to approach Rusa in December 2024 after losing R26,000 to the alleged scam.

“When the details of the [alleged] wedding venue scam were circulated, Rusa operations centre received 17 calls for assistance regarding the same suspect. Complainants were from several provinces,” said Balram.

Investigations revealed the woman was also wanted for two separate cases of alleged fraud in Gauteng.

“Detectives from SAPS Boksburg North contacted reaction officers and informed them the same suspect was wanted in connection with two fraud cases opened in Gauteng in 2024. The woman had allegedly defrauded a car dealership of R200,000 and a couple of R26,000.”  

After a co-ordinated effort, Rusa officers lured the suspect to a meeting where they briefly interviewed her before arresting her.

“She told officers she was an attorney who had been barred by the Law Society after she stole funds from a client's trust fund account. It was later established the suspect was convicted of fraud and has a criminal record and a history of [alleged] scams spanning more than 20 years,” said Balram.

Detectives from SAPS Boksburg North will transport the woman to Gauteng for further investigation.

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