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Two women are set to appear in the Strand Magistrates Court in Cape Town on Monday for allegedly defrauding 80 holidaymakers with a trip to Thailand fraud scheme.
Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie says the women, aged 53 and 59, were arrested on Friday and are facing fraud charges amounting to approximately R1.9 million.
He says investigations revealed that between June 2022 and July 2024, 80 people saw an advertisement about a trip to Thailand on social media platforms.
The ad stated that each person should pay R26 000, which includes all travelling and accommodation costs.
Lieutenant Colonel Pojie says almost all the victims paid the required amount as per the agreement in the bank accounts of the two accused.
He says that when the victims realised that the trips were not going to happen, they reported it to different police stations across the country, including Gauteng, the Northern Cape, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape.
Police centralised the case to the Western Cape, and when the investigation concluded, detectives interviewed the women.
Pojie says they could not explain what happened to the money and were subsequently arrested at their homes in Strand.
They are currently in police custody and will be charged with fraud, theft, and money laundering under sections 4 and 5 of the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004.
