Pretoria Teacher Scammed out of R2.4 Million by Boyfriend, SA Heartbroken

• A teacher from Pretoria fell in love with a man allegedly from Tanzania, and the relationship cost her
• The woman, who was employed as a teacher for decades, met the man in 2022, and they got into a relationship
• However, the man promised her R20 million in cash in exchange for a deposit of R2.4 million, and after she deposited the money, he disappeared

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

PRETORIA — A Tshwane teacher's life fell apart when she lost her R2.4 million pension to a man who posed as her boyfriend for years.

Pretoria teacher falls in love

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IOL reported that the teacher met her boyfriend, who introduced himself as Mark Kagame from the East African nation of Tanzania, in 2022. Their relationship continued for two years, and throughout that time, he tried to convince her to retire as she was always sick.

He scams her of millions

Mark convinced her to meet with his uncle in 2023, and she agreed. He gave them food when she got to her uncle's house, and she was taken to a room there. She believed something was in the food because she agreed to everything they said. After a prayer session that included hearing the voice of an ancestor, the uncle opened a drawer and showed her what she thought was R20 million.

She then agreed to resign, and her lump sum pension of R2.4 million was paid to her account in March 2024. The uncle and her boyfriend summoned her to the house and instructed her not to tell anybody about her lump sum payment.

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She then opened different accounts and deposited R500,000 into each account. She, with her boyfriend, withdrew the money over a few weeks and took it to his uncle. The uncle promised to cleanse the money and convinced her she had bad luck. After giving him the entire R2.4 million, he and the woman disappeared without a trace, leaving her with a broken heart.

Netizens don't sympathise with her

South Africans on Facebook roasted her for falling for a scam.

Malle Junior said:

"Brother, you have represented us well. They hurt us every day."

Stephina Modiba said:

"Police should be out there looking for real criminals. This one gave him the money. No one forced her."

Sharon Meyer said:

"Imagine trusting your boyfriend, especially as far as your money's concerned, just because he knows how to rock your boat."

Podester Phakathi said:

"They don't want to listen."

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Sakhumzi nkosi said:

"One full pot has vanished."

Limpopo woman falls victim to scam

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that a Limpopo woman fell victim to a scam where she gave a man millions.

The man posed as her boyfriend for years, promising her R4 million for 10% of the money. Once she gave him R650,000, he disappeared.

Source: Briefly News