News / National
Elderly woman loses US$45 000 in botched stand deal
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An 80-year-old woman from Greendale, Harare, has lost US$45 000 after being duped in a fraudulent residential stand transaction.
The victim, Theresa Marume, was misled into paying the full amount to two men, Evans Mukora of Kuwadzana and Prince Zwawanda, who falsely presented themselves as the rightful sellers of stand number 157 in Greendale.
Marume was issued with an agreement of sale and proceeded to begin construction by placing bricks and a wooden cabin on the property. However, her efforts were halted when a man, Simbarashe Gonese, confronted her, claiming to be the legitimate owner of the land.
Gonese subsequently took the matter to court, which ruled in his favour, ordering Marume to remove her building materials from the disputed stand. It was then that she realised she had been defrauded and lodged a complaint with the police.
Harare provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, confirmed the case.
"Police are investigating a fraud case involving a Greendale residential stand in Harare," he said.
Insp Chakanza also confirmed a separate fraud case in which a Mt Pleasant woman, Natasha Mhindurwa, was conned out of US$280 in a botched foreign currency exchange.
Mhindurwa reportedly responded to a message in a WhatsApp group where a fraudster posed as a currency trader. The con artist sent her a fake mobile money notification purporting to show that ZIG10 730 had been transferred to her. Trusting the transaction, Mhindurwa transferred US$280 at the agreed rate, only to later realise that the message was fabricated.
Police have urged the public to exercise extreme caution when engaging in property and foreign currency transactions to avoid falling victim to such scams.
The victim, Theresa Marume, was misled into paying the full amount to two men, Evans Mukora of Kuwadzana and Prince Zwawanda, who falsely presented themselves as the rightful sellers of stand number 157 in Greendale.
Marume was issued with an agreement of sale and proceeded to begin construction by placing bricks and a wooden cabin on the property. However, her efforts were halted when a man, Simbarashe Gonese, confronted her, claiming to be the legitimate owner of the land.
Gonese subsequently took the matter to court, which ruled in his favour, ordering Marume to remove her building materials from the disputed stand. It was then that she realised she had been defrauded and lodged a complaint with the police.
"Police are investigating a fraud case involving a Greendale residential stand in Harare," he said.
Insp Chakanza also confirmed a separate fraud case in which a Mt Pleasant woman, Natasha Mhindurwa, was conned out of US$280 in a botched foreign currency exchange.
Mhindurwa reportedly responded to a message in a WhatsApp group where a fraudster posed as a currency trader. The con artist sent her a fake mobile money notification purporting to show that ZIG10 730 had been transferred to her. Trusting the transaction, Mhindurwa transferred US$280 at the agreed rate, only to later realise that the message was fabricated.
Police have urged the public to exercise extreme caution when engaging in property and foreign currency transactions to avoid falling victim to such scams.
Source - H-Metro
