Criminals these days are more cunning than ever in devising ways to con the unsuspecting out of their hard-earned cash. Recently, the Ridgeway Independent School outside Louis Trichardt fell prey to these ruthless thugs, losing just over R57 000 in what is known as the deposit scam.

A couple of weeks ago, the school received a phone call from a man claiming to be from Telkom. The staff member dealing with the school’s finances was told that, due to a computer glitch, many Telkom clients had been paid out big refunds not due to them. In this case, the staff member was informed that an amount of R57 303.31 had been deposited into the school’s account erroneously, with a request that she refund it.

Not suspecting any foul play, the staff member told the man that she would first have to verify that the money was indeed in the school’s account. She checked the school’s account via the Internet and saw that an amount, the balance of which was R57 303.31 higher than it should have been, had been paid into the school’s account. The school’s FNB statement also showed that the payment had been made with a Telkom reference from an ABSA branch.

The following day, the staff member phoned the number left by the “Telkom” man who had phoned her. The phone was answered “Telkom” and she was duly transferred to a Mr Jeff Walters, the man dealing with the incorrect payments. The staff member verified that the money was in the school account and was given an account number for returning the money. When she asked why the amount could not be reversed to the account number that the school used to pay its telephone bill, “Walters” replied that the error had come from a different department with a different account number. Accepting the excuse, the staff member then reversed the money.

The next day, the staff member received another call from Telkom. This time a female Telkom employee was querying another account-related problem. Agitated, the staff member complained about Telkom’s inefficiency, telling the lady who phoned about the previous day’s reversal, to which the lady replied: “Oh my, please tell me you didn’t reverse the payment. There is a major scam going on at the moment; these people aren’t from Telkom.”

Realising that something was wrong, the staff member immediately contacted the school’s bank, FNB, asking them to stop the transaction. By that time, however, the money had already been transferred to ABSA. FNB then contacted ABSA, but it was too late. The money had already been withdrawn and the account closed. The police was then phoned and a criminal case opened.

Police believe the scam is the work of a Nigerian syndicate. It later transpired that the criminals had opened the account into which the money was paid at ABSA, using a false ID document and supplying no FICA compliance certificates (such as proof of residency, etc.) It was also found that the cheque paid into the school’s account had been stolen.

Since the incident, the school has tried every possibly means to recover the money, but to no avail, with both FNB and ABSA denying any liability. To make matters worse, the school’s insurance also does not cover this type of theft.

Many readers would by now say to themselves: “How could the person allow herself to be suckered this way?” But don’t be too quick to judge; the truth of the matter is that more people than one might think fall victim to this brilliant scam. At face value, everything looks legitimate, and in this case, the staff member only tried to correct a “mistake” and did not stand to gain anything from her actions.

It is doubtful that the con artists will spill any tears over their actions. For them it was a case of easy money. On the flipside, however, lives and reputations lie in ruins. In this case, the staff member was charged with gross negligence. She then had to go through the trauma of a disciplinary hearing, was found guilty and held liable for the full amount. The staff member contested the fairness of the disciplinary hearing at the CCMA, but during mediation at the CCMA it became apparent that, although the disciplinary hearing might not have been conducted fairly, the staff member could indeed be held liable legally for the amount. The school’s finance committee then said that they would hold the staff member liable and an agreement was drawn up that she would repay 9% of her salary for as long as it takes to recover the full amount.

In response to the incident, Mr Jacques Smalle (vice-chairman of the school’s governing body) said that although they had extreme sympathy for the staff member, they could not just write off the money. He said that, as the school was registered as an Article 21 company, any money paid to the school belonged to the learners and their parents. He said they therefore had an obligation to recover the money for developing the school further.

Although saddened by the incident, the staff member and her husband say they still believe Ridgeway Independent is the best school in the country.

“I just hope this article raises awareness to such scams, to protect other people,” the staff member said on Wednesday.