Theft by false pretences worry Malawi Police Service

Malawi Police Service (MPS) has expressed concern over increasing cases of theft by false pretences.

According to a statement released by MPS and signed Public Relations Officer James Kadadzera, tens of unsuspecting Malawians have been duped of their hard earned money by these tricksters who in return demand money for jobs.

The statement has disclosed how the people steal money from Malawians. Among other ways, such tricksters send a word in a particular village that a non-governmental organisation wants to recruit volunteers. The statement adds that the tricksters lie to the people that they will be getting an honoraria of say K80,000 but before taking them on board, they must pay a sum of K3,000 for registration and identity card.

Malawi Police Service has therefore tipped Malawians on how they can know such tricksters who want to become rich at their expense.

According to the statement, the tricksters among other ways use phones for communication and not face to face, they use mobile money service for transactions sidelining commercial banks accounts and such people refuse to meet in person when you ask them to do so by giving lame excuses.

Malawi Police Service through the statement has warned people not to deposit the requested sum of money no matter how small the amount.

According to the statement, Malawians should also report to police for authenticity and report to village leaders for assistance.

“The police service is appealing to members of the general public to be on guard and report any suspicious activity in their area of jurisdiction to stop these cases of theft by false pretences and together strengthen safety and security in Malawi,” reads the statement.

Recently two cases related to such malpractice have been recorded in the country.

The first case happened in Dowa district where two men were arrested for impersonating Malawi Revenue Authority officers to steal money from shop owners.

The other incident happened in Karonga district where a soldier has been arrested for demanding money from people with the aim of securing them jobs in military.