Stock theft scam run from prison
The National Stock Theft Prevention Unit has sent out a warning about a livestock scam being run by a prisoner.
|||Kimberley - The National Stock Theft Prevention Unit has warned local red meat producers, abattoirs, auctioneers, livestock agents and transporters of livestock of a scam being run by a prisoner from inside the Correctional Services.
The unit, in conjunction with the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, said in a statement issued on Tuesday that currently 11 cases of livestock theft, as well as a case of fraud, were being investigated against a prisoner, who is in jail for theft of livestock.
Some of the cases date back to 2013.
“It is alleged that the prisoner started committing livestock theft from inside the correctional centre three years ago and is still doing so,” Willie Clack, chairman of the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum, said on Tuesday.
He added that the crimes were normally committed with illegal cellphones that the prisoner obtained as contraband.
“Various efforts have been made by the authorities to stop the malpractice without any success.”
According to Clack, the prisoner uses the name Andries Vrede and speaks fluent Afrikaans.
“The prisoner normally contacts speculators, auctioneers and abattoirs to sell livestock to them. He sometimes pretends to be an emerging farmer who is currently in prison on a charge of culpable homicide and states that he wishes to sell off all his cattle to pay for the cost of his appeal. He then further indicates that he only works through his attorney to buy or sell the cattle and that the necessary contracts will be compiled. In all these cases the attorneys themselves fall for his scam and become his victims as well.”
Clack added that the man appeared to have an extremely good knowledge of recent cattle prices.
“When auctioneers or speculators show no interest in purchasing the animals, he then approaches transporters. It is then organised that the cattle be loaded by the transporter. He is normally in good contact with the transporters and directs them to the cattle. His normal excuse is that he is at a congress for farmers or at a meeting and therefore he cannot be present. His workers will assist the transporter with the loading of the cattle when he arrives. In essence, the transporter then actually commits the offence on his behalf. The workers used by the culprit are normally old criminals released from prison, contacts and people who visit him in prison.”
Clack stated that over a period of three years, approximately 700 head of cattle were stolen in this manner resulting in a loss of R7.7 million.
“In some cases the cattle were found by the Stock Theft Unit and returned to the owners. In other cases the cattle were sold at auctions or slaughtered in abattoirs.”
Red meat producers in mostly Theunissen, Bultfontein, Winburg, Welkom, Hennenman and Kroonstad have fallen victim, while speculators in Heilbron, Frankfort, Wesselsbron and Gauteng have also been contacted by the prisoner for possible deals without success.
“In the last month, a new scam has developed where the prisoner approached red meat producers who advertised cattle for sale in agricultural magazines. Currently there are three cases under investigation where he clinched the deal after sending an SMS indicating that the money was being paid via electronic funds transfer. The red meat producer then delivered the cattle to a pre-arranged location only to discover afterwards that the transaction was fraudulent.”
Anyone who believes that they may have fallen victim to the scam is asked to contact their nearest Stock Theft Unit or Lieutenant Colonel Gert Jonker at 082 372 2093, Warrant Officer Henry Greeff at 082 452 0372 or the Heilbron Stock Theft Unit at 058 853 5242.
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