The Hawks arrested three men in Cape Town this week after they allegedly cloned bank cards. This is the second time these three have been arrested.
Hawks spokesman Zinzi Hani says the suspects are linked to 233 charges of fraud and 334 charges of violating the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT) as well as the Organized Crime Prevention Act (POCA).
According to Hani, the cloned cards were apparently used in two transactions at two filling stations in Botswana. The rest of the fraudulent transactions were carried out at ATMs in the Cape Town area – withdrawals of R230 000 in total.
Hani says the three suspects, between the ages of 40 and 51, were first arrested on August 21, 2013 after numerous card cloning devices and counterfeit bank cards were found in their possession. The court withdrew the charges against the suspects while the investigation continued.
“New information later came to light which led to the Falcons issuing a summons against the three suspects,” Hani said.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Commercial Court in Bellville, Western Cape, on October 7.
