Businessman loses US$8,000 to bogus VID officer

A businessman in Zhombe has been defrauded of US$8,000 by a fake Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) officer who falsely claimed to be in charge of disposing vehicles forfeited to the State.

Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko, confirmed that the police are investigating multiple fraud cases involving the suspect, who is only identified as Mageza. According to Inspector Mahoko, these fraudulent activities date back to July 2024.

In one of the cases, Mageza allegedly tricked Honest Mahleka, a businessman based at Joel Business Centre in Zhombe.

"The suspect convinced Mahleka that he was disposing of a Toyota Hiace and a Nissan AD Van for a total of US$8,000," said Inspector Mahoko.

The complainant was instructed to deposit the money into various EcoCash accounts. However, after completing the transactions, Mahleka found that the suspect was no longer reachable.

"We are appealing for information that may assist in the investigation," added Inspector Mahoko.

Authorities are urging members of the public to conduct thorough background checks before making any financial transactions, particularly when dealing with individuals claiming to represent official institutions.