Five held as cops probe fraud ring

Durban - Police have nabbed five members of an alleged syndicate who went around KwaZulu-Natal applying for accounts and loans using fake identity documents, payslips and bank statements.

The four men and a woman have been linked to 25 incidents of fraud and forgery, amounting to almost R500 000.

Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Joey Jeevan said the suspects were found in possession of stolen identification documents, falsified payslips and bank statements.

A laptop and printer, believed to have been used to produce these documents, was also confiscated.

Jeevan said the suspects had been operating in Pietermaritzburg for the past week and had allegedly committed similar crimes in Durban and other towns in the province.

She said the suspects allegedly used the fake documents to apply for loans and open up accounts.

“Once approved they take off with the cash or items. The fraud is only established after the instalments have not been paid.”

Jeevan advised businesses to take precautions when opening accounts for customers, especially when contacting references as they could be accomplices.

The public should safeguard identity documents and payslips, she said.

Jeevan said investigations were continuing.

The Mercury