'Spiritual' romance scammer targets retired Verulam woman, steals family heirlooms

A 62-YEAR-OLD retired Verulam woman was manipulated into sending her precious family heirloom jewellery to a man she met on a dating app, who convinced her the items were 'possessed by evil spirits.'

Security experts warned this is part of a growing trend of romance scams targeting elderly women."

The woman, who was an employee of the Department of Education and recently separated, said she had sent the jewellery by courier to the man in Cape Town, despite never having met him.

She said she had only spoken to him on Whatsapp for a week.

She said the man told her that he had “spiritual insight”, and through persistent romantic messaging and flattery, he exploited her loneliness and convinced her to courier the jewellery so that he could perform a cleansing ritual.

Prem Balram, spokesperson for Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said the woman went to the their offices on Tuesday to report the incident.

“She provided us with her WhatsApp chat records and courier documentation linked to the incident.

“It was established that she met the suspect on a dating app about one week ago. Communication soon transitioned to WhatsApp, where the man, presented himself as a prominent businessman based in Western Cape. He intensified the interaction through persistent romantic messaging, flattery, and claims of spiritual insight,” said Balram.

“During this brief period, the suspect allegedly exploited the woman’s loneliness following her marital separation and gained her trust. The victim admitted to overlooking clear warning signs during the interaction.

“The suspect later claimed that her family jewellery and heirlooms, including a gold Mangalsutra (traditional pendant necklace), were possessed by evil spirits responsible for misfortune in her life.

“He convinced her that only a special prayer ritual he would perform in Cape Town could remove the curse, repeatedly assuring her that the jewellery would be returned after the cleansing,” Balram added.

He said on Monday, the woman couriered the jewellery to an address listed as Milnerton Mall on Loxton Road in Cape Town. The suspect’s contact number was provided to the courier company to facilitate collection of the parcel. 

He said due to the number not being registered, they could not trace it.

“At this stage, the woman has opted not to open a criminal case. The public is urged to exercise extreme caution when engaging in online relationships, particularly where financial demands, spiritual manipulation, or requests to send valuables are concerned. 

“Romance scams of this nature are on the increase. Romance scammers generally target elderly females. Almost 100% of the cases that we have dealt with victims were elderly females, generally who have jewellery and money in their possession.

“The men they meet online would ask them about their profession, their retirement funds, about jewellery that was passed down to them,” he added.

Balram said women eventually parted with jewellery or money.

He warned that women using dating apps or engaging with men on social media should never share their personal information or information about their possessions.

“If you meet men online, do not share any personal information. Women should also avoid posting your profession on dating apps and social media platforms because this is what the perpetrators look for.

“They look for people in certain professions, with retirement funds or retirement money, or divorcees and widows who have money.

“Scammers would generally put up a good looking picture, and he would generally be a doctor, a soldier or a pilot. Those are the professions used to target the females.

“The scammer would engage in ongoing conversations and after a few days or weeks, the person would tell the women that they are willing to come to South Africa, to see them, but he will be stuck at an airport or he will be cleansing jewellery or he would require a loan for a lifesaving operation 

“The telephone numbers and bank accounts do not belong to them. They are not registered and they cannot be traced. If a man asks for money within days of a conversation, the woman should immediately stop contact with them as the scammer would eventually get them to part with their valuables. The incident should be reported immediately,” Balram added.

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