INTERVIEW– CRIMINALS ARE DRUGGING VICTIMS TO STEAL MILLIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
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GUEST – Nazia Karrim, Head of Product Development at the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service
Mkhulu Solly Nduku, Traditional Health Practitioners Sector leader
The South African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) has warned that criminal syndicates are drugging victims with hallucinogens as part of an intricate and elaborate ‘sangoma’ scam that targets followers of traditional African belief systems.
This is one of two new wildly intricate scams that have emerged in the country, where syndicates are going the extra mile steal millions of rands from unsuspecting residents. “South Africans are deeply connected to their culture and cultural beliefs. Followers of the fundamental traditional African belief system believe they are watched over by their ancestors, who guide them in times of crisis or when facing an important decision in their lives,” the SAFPS said.
As many South Africans currently face harsh economic conditions, individuals are seeking guidance on how to see them through the challenging times – and scam artists are abusing these belief systems and desperation. Nazia Karrim, Head of Product Development at the SAFPS noted that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation has recorded a spike in what it calls “ancestry scams”,and approached SAFPS to help inform the public about the threat.
Mkhulu Solly Nduku, Traditional Health Practitioners Sector leader
The South African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) has warned that criminal syndicates are drugging victims with hallucinogens as part of an intricate and elaborate ‘sangoma’ scam that targets followers of traditional African belief systems.
This is one of two new wildly intricate scams that have emerged in the country, where syndicates are going the extra mile steal millions of rands from unsuspecting residents. “South Africans are deeply connected to their culture and cultural beliefs. Followers of the fundamental traditional African belief system believe they are watched over by their ancestors, who guide them in times of crisis or when facing an important decision in their lives,” the SAFPS said.
As many South Africans currently face harsh economic conditions, individuals are seeking guidance on how to see them through the challenging times – and scam artists are abusing these belief systems and desperation. Nazia Karrim, Head of Product Development at the SAFPS noted that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation has recorded a spike in what it calls “ancestry scams”,and approached SAFPS to help inform the public about the threat.
