Police in Limpopo have arrested a man who used fake Facebook accounts to kidnap and rape women.
The South African Police Services (SAPS) has warned members of the public to be vigilant when using social media.
The police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, said the fake account is named Jeff Rals.
Police were alerted to this scam after a member of the public reported to police that a female friend was lured under false pretences, kidnapped, and raped repeatedly.
“The male friend reported to police that his female friend had fallen prey to a dating scam where this suspect was using a fake Facebook account to lure women. He allegedly takes women from Gauteng to Limpopo on false promises of employment opportunities,” Mathe said
Limpopo Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, was contacted, and a team was immediately mobilised to search for the victim.
Within five hours of establishing this search party, the victim and kidnapper were traced to a filling station in Giyani, Limpopo, where the conman had run out of petrol and did not have funds to fill up his vehicle.
According to the victim, the kidnapper goes by the name of Jeff Rals on Facebook and uses a picture and identity that belong to someone else. He met the victim in Pretoria, and immediately, when the victim realised that the individual looked different from his Facebook profile, the scammer lied and said he was a driver sent by his brother, Jeff Rals, to pick her up.
“The scammer then drove to Limpopo with the victim under false pretenses and proceeded to rape her repeatedly at his homestead. The victim was also extorted financially. The SAPS takes this opportunity to warn online dating users to be extra cautious and not be so trusting. Online dating scams can often lead to requests to meet online lovers, which could result in a kidnapping incident. These scammers often make the victim feel as though they have a genuine relationship. Once trust has been established, the scammer often requests money or to meet the victim, which results in a kidnapping incident, just like in this case,” Mathe said.
Police have urged anyone who may have fallen victim to this scam to come forward.
“Limpopo police, under the leadership of Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, ought to be commended for acting swiftly to save the life of this young woman. The young woman is in the process of being reunited with her family today and the suspect is still in police custody and faces a charge of rape and kidnapping.”
“Many thanks to the Mopani District Tracking Team, the Lulekani detectives and visible policing teams, Giyani POP, Giyani Crime Intelligence, as well as the Giyani visible policing unit,” Mathe said.
