A Mpumalanga petrol attendant accused of cloning customers’ bank cards will appear in court on Monday, December 15.
Hawks provincial spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said the unit investigated the alleged theft of R469,000 after receiving two reports of suspected theft at the Truckstop Inn fuel station in Middelburg.
Nkosi said investigators suspect the 34-year-old petrol attendant cloned the cards during transactions.
“After the financial institutions conducted their investigation, it was established that card users suffered an estimated loss of R469 000. The Hawks Middelburg based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation was notified about the criminal activities,” Nkosi said in a statement on Saturday.
CARD CLONING MACHINE
The Hawks arrested the suspect on Friday after finding a card-cloning machine in his possession during a search.
Hawks provincial head Major General Nico Gerber commended investigators and law enforcement for securing the arrest.
“Our investigation is still in the infancy phase, and we believe as investigation continues, more information will be uncovered, and there are possibilities that more people might be linked to the illegal activities. This is a testament to our collaboration as a public and private partnership in addressing crime,” Gerber said.
