Three suspected romance swindlers appeared in the Muizenberg Magistrate's Court on Thursday for their fraud and money laundering scheme, which cost an unsuspecting victim over R14 million.
Image: FILE
Preying on the vulnerabilities of an elderly woman in her 70s by making her believe that she was in a romantic relationship via an online dating app was the cunning scheme that three catfishers used to allegedly swindle R14 million from their victim.
All three suspected romance fraudsters appeared in the Muizenberg Magistrate's Court on Thursday in connection with their fraud and money laundering scheme.
Asanda Dwesini, 39, Nomphelo Fetman, 32, and Shan Gabrielle Lewis, 47, appeared briefly in court after they were arrested by the Bellville Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team, together with the National Intervention Unit (NIU) on Thursday.
Their alleged acts of deception happened between 2017 and 2018, which was confirmed by Zinzi Hani, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in the Western Cape.
“The scheme involved creating a fake profile on a dating website to manipulate the victim into giving the criminals money. It was reported that the alleged lover lured the victim by using flirtatious language, making her believe that they were in a genuine relationship.
“Once trust was established, he would ask for money, inventing reasons such as failed trips or urgent fines. The victim transferred money into various bank accounts shared by the alleged lover. This was often repeated until the victim became suspicious,” said Hani.
According to Hani, the fraudsters gained the victim’s trust and built a relationship with her, making everything about the romance feel normal, but the aim was to extort her.
“The Western Cape's Head of the Hawks, Major General Mathipa Makgato, has sensitised the public to be cautious about involving themselves in questionable transactions. If they are uncertain, they should refrain from doing so,” said Hani.
Makgato said “it was okay to reject or ignore requests, as criminals will often try to rush or make you panic. If you believe you have fallen for a scam, you should contact your bank immediately and report it to the nearest authorities,” said Makgato.
The matter against the trio was remanded to March 26, 2026, for bail information.
All three remain in custody.
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