2015-03-09Staff Report 2 WINDHOEK – The police have warned the public to be wary of fake police officers who are swindling people out of their hard earned cash. Information provided by Chief Inspector Christina van Dunem Dafonsech, of Khomas Regional Community Affairs indicate the imposters will call and say you ‘will be arrested’ or ‘a family member has been arrested’. They will further ask the victim to report to a police station somewhere pertaining to a crime. “Sometimes the criminal meets you inside a police station or makes you pay by meeting them somewhere,” Dafonsech said. “The criminal creates fear, uncertainty and concern on your side. This is done to get you to trust him and to trust that he or she can fix the problem for you,” Dafonsech added. “At stages the criminal will test the trust relationship by asking for credit to be placed on his phone or smaller amounts be e-walleted to them,” she said. She said the criminals would obtain information from newspapers, social media and hangout spots. Dafonsech warned people not to fall victim to this crime labelled ‘toeplak’, by “understanding and never allowing yourself to pay money in favour of a charge or so-called crime being deleted off the planet”. “Keep your personal details and transactional details as limited as possible when posting on social media and the newspapers. Never, never pay for anything, contact your local police station for advice,” she advised. Two men appeared in court on Friday for theft under false pretences. Emmanuel Kashuupulwa and Josia ‘Zorro’ Muhongo allegedly pretended to be police officers and demanded N$300 000 from a man in Ondangwa in order not to arrest him for dealing in diamonds. The two men went to the bank with the man but later reported the matter. 2015-03-09Staff Report 2
