Cops raise alarm over rising phone scams

Sea Point Police are warning residents to beware of telephone fraud after they've received numerous complaints about people getting phone calls from scammers pretending to be from financial institutions. 

Sea Point police spokesperson Captain Cyril Dicks said the con artists would call an individual,  pretending to be from a financial institution such as a bank, and convince the person that there has been a transaction on their bank account. The person is then urged to go into their bank account to block it. The scammer will then send a false One Time Pin (OTP), and instead of the account being blocked, money would then be removed from the person's account.  

"This should be a red flag," said Captain Dicks. "Rather tell the caller that you will contact your bank or go into the bank itself to find out, and put the phone down as soon as possible."

He appealed to residents to contact the police and report it immediately if they have fallen victim to this crime. 

In other incidents, two men were arrested -  one for dealing, and another for being in possession of drugs - in Bantry Bay.

Captain Dicks said on Monday May 12, during morning foot patrols, police decided to check the Bantry Bay caves.

They discovered a man who seemed occupied with putting items away. When they searched the man, he was found to be in possession of drugs. During the arrest process, the police received more information from the suspected dealer, and a follow-up search for the main seller ensued. The seller, a man in a white Toyota matching the description received by the police, was stopped on the corner of Beach and St Andrews roads.

Upon searching the vehicle, police found mandrax, tik, and an undisclosed amount of money, and he was subsequently arrested.

Sea Point police station commander Colonel Christo Engelbrecht, commended the police on their dedication to prevent such crime in the Sea Point area.