"I Did Exactly What They Told Me”: Stellenbosch Woman Loses Nearly R10K in Fake Police Scam

• A Stellenbosch woman was left traumatised after falling victim to a sophisticated scam involving individuals posing as police officials
• She was convinced she was under investigation in a serious criminal case and was pressured through an extended video call involving multiple fake authorities
• The ordeal ended with her losing nearly R10,000 before she realised she had been deceived

WESTERN CAPE - A 50-year-old woman from Stellenbosch has shared how she was tricked into paying nearly R10,000 after scammers posed as police officers.

According to IOL, the woman was convinced into believing police thought she was involved in an international drug syndicate on 13 February 2026.

What happened?

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was contacted by a man claiming to be a customs official at Cape Town International Airport. He told her that a parcel linked to her name had been intercepted and contained drugs, passports, SIM cards, and bank cards allegedly meant for Australia.

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Shocked and scared, she insisted she knew nothing about the parcel. However, the caller then transferred her into a series of video calls with people pretending to be police officers, a captain, and even a legal advocate.

During the four-hour call, the scammers appeared professional, wearing uniforms and sitting in office-like settings. They told her she was under investigation and needed to prove her innocence.

She was instructed to read documents sent via WhatsApp, answer questions, and show her surroundings on camera. The scammers also claimed her identity was linked to major criminal activity.

See the post from IOL here:

Woman told to transfer money to prove her innocence

The woman said she was later told she needed to pay money into a “frozen account” supposedly linked to the South African Reserve Bank. She was promised the money would be refunded within hours after her name was cleared.

Believing the process was real, she transferred R9,999 from her Nedbank account after her husband approved the payment. Soon after, she received a fake “clearance certificate” and realised she had been scammed.

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“I was scared and did everything they said. I truly believed I was being investigated, ”she said

Police have warned that these scams are becoming more common, with criminals pretending to be officers to create fear and pressure victims into paying money. Authorities stressed that real police officers never demand payments or conduct investigations over phone or video calls.

Experts have urged the public to stay alert and verify any suspicious claims directly with SAPS.

Police officer scammed out of millions

In related news, scores of South Africans were deeply surprised to learn that a seasoned police officer fell victim to romance fraud and lost almost R3 million. The former police captain met the Ugandan national, who posed as a medical doctor, in Rustenburg, North West, in September 2023. The alleged romance scammer, Kalvin Sofika, reportedly convinced a 53-year-old victim to take out multiple loans on his behalf. Thereafter, she persuaded the man to resign from his job, promising a shared future. The suspect then allegedly disappeared with the victim’s R2 million pension payout.

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Four prisoners scam victims out of R1.3 million

Previously, Briefly News reported that four prisoners have been charged with extortion following the discovery of an elaborate scam they were running out of their jail cells. They posed as fake police officers using information and images from unsuspecting police officers' social media accounts to target men who used a secret online dating service. The extortion scam was able to swindle R1.3 million from the victims in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News