A woman from Ekurhuleni is devastated after being swindled of R200 000 by a foreign national who pretended to be in a romantic relationship with her.
Though some may consider this a small amount, had banks granted her more loans, she could have lost about R1 million.
The 39-year-old mother, who asked not to be named due to shame and fear of judgment, wishes to expose the man named “Khalid”. The imposter claimed to be 41 years old. They met on Tinder in November last year, and their relationship lasted for a year.
“Please help by exposing the man who scammed me, Khalid. When we first met, he used to do everything for me. I never knew I would fall victim, and I am sharing this to caution other independent women,” she said.
The imposter claimed to own a guest house in Midrand, but she never visited it. He also claimed to own a house in Sandown Park Village in Ekurhuleni, where she would visit him.
There was a room he barred her from entering, claiming it was his private prayer room.
“We planned to do business together to make extra money. I suggested a truck business. He claimed he wanted to marry me and would introduce me to his ancestors. I had many questions about how he would do that,” she said.
The guy invited her to the prayer room, claiming to speak with his ancestors. To her surprise, she heard a voice.
“I heard a voice saying they welcome me as a daughter-in-law. He told me their son would soon come to my home for lobola negotiations. The voice said I had bad luck and wanted to cleanse it with milk. He instructed me to take milk and put it under the bed,” she said.
She followed his advice and, together with Khalid, bathed with the milk after several days and returned to the room for prayers.
“The voice sounded like someone prophesying. I started to believe him. He questioned me about my job, and whether I had savings, and I told him I was on a contract with no savings. He said he wanted to bless me with money and instructed the imposter to buy a trunk,” she said.
The imposter bought a small trunk to hold money. “We went back to the room, and the voice said we must place R390 and return after three days. When we returned, we opened the trunk and found a lot of money. I was not happy and had mixed feelings, questioning if this was real. The voice told him to take R400 and buy wine and Nando’s for us,” she said.
“The voice said I must come back another day and bring all my bank cards. I did so, and he instructed me to go to a bank for a loan since I had no investment. He claimed the money in the trunk was R4 million and said we could not take it. He said I must get a loan, and the imposter must escort me,” she said.
The imposter told her the loan should be around a million. “On July 4, 2024, we went to the bank, and fortunately, they only gave me R200 000 while others declined. The voice told me to withdraw the money so he could bless it. I was manipulated; I saw the money and needed it. The voice said we could deposit it the next day, but the man wanted to keep the money in the prayer room,” she said.
“The guy was very supportive; he paid my child’s school fees and gave me a girlfriend allowance, not knowing he was using my money. I kept asking him for the loan money back, but he kept making excuses. We were told not to share what happened in the prayer room, or we would go crazy. I was afraid and never told anyone.
“He disappeared. Whenever I called, he made excuses, but now his phone is off. I even went to where he used to live, and the security said those people were gone and wanted by police,” she said.
She suspects the imposter might be in the Brits area in North West or the Western Cape. After opening a fraud case, one police officer informed her that three other women had similar cases.
Gauteng police confirmed that a fraud case was registered.
“Police can confirm that a case of fraud has been opened at Boksburg Police Station, and an investigation is under way. No arrests have been made yet,” said Gauteng Provincial SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo.
Attempts to get hold of Khalid were fruitless, and the cellphone number provided was unavailable.
The Star
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