By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A fraud case against three Free State suspects has been postponed. Mojalefa Springkan (30), Kgosana Tladi (49) and David Mokonyane (52) briefly appeared at Taung Magistrate’s Court on Thursday facing a fraud case.

The trio was arrested in October 2017 at Taung Mall by South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence in partnership with Taung Police Station after a tip-off.

The suspects allegedly defrauded unsuspecting victims their hard-earned cash at the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across Dr Ruth Mompati district. The Investigating Officer, Warrant Officer, Kagiso Phemelo told the court that suspects allegedly robbed a woman her Sassa card at Pudimoe complex in Pudimoe Location, near Taung before they proceeded to Taung Mall.

“The suspects were followed by the police from Pudimoe Location to Taung where they were allegedly stopped and searched. The police found loads of various bank cards in their possession. They were arrested and police confiscated the vehicle that they used during the commission of crime,” Phemelo said.

The suspects were remanded in custody until their next appearance on 31^st of January 2018. They have obtained a new attorney, Johan Voster. They have previous fraud cases committed in Gauteng and Free State provinces.

Voster said he will submit new evidence and formally apply for bail. The fraud case against the suspects in Ficksburg in Free State has been struck off the roll because of lack of evidence against them.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Frank Lesenyego said: “We are adamant that we have a water-tight case against the suspects. They also have previous convictions.”

Taung Police Station cluster spokesperson, Sergeant Tebogo Thebe urged people to be alert. Thebe added that they have increased police visibility in Taung CBD.

“We urged bank users to be wary of criminals because we have realised that card-skimming operators ascend to our areas. We are working together with other law enforcement agencies to curb these criminal activities. There are many fraud cases being reported thus far and we will work tirelessly in arresting the perpetrators.

“The majority of card-skimming incidents in South Africa are recorded around ATMs and, to a lesser extent, at retail merchants when bank cards are presented for payments. So, card users should never give their cards to someone at an ATM for any reason. They should also never let anyone assist them at an ATM, even if they appear to be a bank official or security personnel,” he said.

Thebe further said that people should beware of people standing closer to them when they are concluding transactions at an ATM. He added that they should ensure that they hide their pins when keying into an ATM.

“Never use an ATM that looks tampered with or damaged.  Card users must always use an ATM in a well-lit area or use an ATM that is monitored by a CCTV camera if possible,” he said.

Victims of this fraud case said they still have faith in the justice system. Meisie Hendricks from Lokaleng village, near Taung was allegedly robbed R1000 and R1600 in two occasions.

“I was robbed my hard-earned cash by the suspects. I have faith in the justice system and I am hopeful that they will not be granted bail. We cannot let people come to Taung and engage into criminal activities. There are so many people who were robbed and that left them crippled financially,” Hendricks said.

Michael Motate said: “My wife was robbed R1000 at the ATM through card-skimming. We need to fight this criminal behaviour together with the community. I want to applaud the police for sterling job and believe that our court will not be lenient on the suspects considering that they have similar previous cases.”

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