\n\t\tThe accused’s next court appearance for a bail application is scheduled for 26 February.\n\t<\/p>\n
The Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) of the Hawks in East London, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Movement Control and Saps at OR Tambo International Airport, have arrested a man over a decade-old \u201cancestral investment\u201d scam. <\/p>\n
According to the Hawks, 39-year-old William Matyuba allegedly convinced the complainant, a school teacher, that her ancestors were instructing her to resign from work and invest her pension payout, promising miraculous returns. <\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing these instructions, the victim transferred large sums of money, which the accused allegedly misappropriated and disappeared with,\u201d said the Hawks.<\/p>\n
The victim is said to have lost R1.27 million. <\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Weddings in Rome and frozen accounts: How \u2018Mario Bertolini\u2019 scammed a pensioner of R500k<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n After years on the run, Matyuba was arrested on Thursday last week at OR Tambo International Airport, while entering South Africa.<\/p>\n He was initially brought before the Kempton Park Court and later appeared in the Zwelitsha Court on Friday. His next court appearance for a bail application is scheduled for 26 February.<\/p>\n How \u2018Mario Bertolini\u2019 scammed a pensioner of R500k<\/p>\n In another scam, two men were arrested exactly a year ago by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation units in Gqeberha and Bellville for an online dating scam involving a pensioner.<\/p>\n According to spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, Thembeka Bendon, 47, was arrested on allegations of fraud.<\/p>\n The first suspect, Thina Mpuhlu, 42, was arrested on 26 October 2023 for the same charge.<\/p>\n On 16 March 2014, the pensioner met someone who called himself Mario Bertolini on a dating site.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is further reported that after a month of getting to know each other via cell phone calls, messages and e-mails, Bertolini invited the complainant to his brother\u2019s wedding in Rome, Italy. However, the complainant could not receive the visa as it was on short notice,\u201d said Mgolodela.<\/p>\n