MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – Local businesses are once again the target of a national deposit scam.

Suspects order goods from businesses and pay “cash” into the business’ account. They then fax through a forged deposit slip to the business, informing them that they had made a mistake in paying in too much money, usually about R10 000. The suspects urge the business to repay them the money.

Only after paying back the amount, the business finds out that the faxed deposit slip was forged and the payment into the business’s account was made with a stolen cheque. In the meantime, the suspects withdraw the money from the account the business paid it into and disappear. The police are, however, unable to trace them as the suspects use false names and identity documents to open the bank account. They also make use of “pay as you go” cellphone sim cards and public phones.

Although local businesses are targeted, the police have indicated that this is at present a national scam. Business owners and members of the public are urged to phone Detective Inspector Jaco Crause at (015) 519 4331 of Detective Sergeant Kruger at (015) 519 4330 if they are contacted by persons under the above-mentioned circumstances.