FRANCISTOWN: A 55-year-old Selebi-Phikwe woman was allegedly scammed by police impersonators using a fake notebook. Selebi-Phikwe Police Station commander, Nicholas Kadiatla has said they are investigating an incident in which a woman was swindled out of more than P9,000 by scammers pretending to be police officers.

He said the incident took place on Thursday in the town’s shopping mall after the woman was approached by a man who claimed to have found a huge sum of cash near the 55-yearold’s car. Kadiatla stated that when the unknown man approached the woman he pleaded with her to give him a ride so that they could go and count the cash.

The station commander indicated that the man suggested they take a ride to a strange place where they found other two supposed police officers. “Upon arrival at the strange place, the two police impersonators approached them with a fake police notebook and falsely arrested them for carrying a large amount (of money),” he added.

The Selebi-Phikwe police boss added that the fake police officers then searched the woman and took P3,500 cash.

They posed as if they arrested the other man and went away with him in a private car and told the woman to follow them, he said. Before arresting the unknown man, he said the two police impersonators asked the woman to write down her banking details including her personal identification number (PIN).

Kadiatla said the men then disappeared whilst the woman was trailing them. “On her way, she received a bank notification indicating that she has withdrawn P5,500 from her account. Upon receiving the text, she had a wake-up call that she was being scammed and then rushed to the police to report the matter,” Kadiatla elaborated.

He said they are still investigating the matter and warned the public about sharing their banking details with unknown people. He explained that real police officers will never ask for one’s banking PIN or banking card credentials and they will never tell a suspect to use his or her car to follow them to the station. Kadiatla also warned the public about online scammers targeting mobile-based payment such as OrangeMoney.

On another note, he was worried about housebreaking and robbery cases in their policing area. He said that between last Thursday and Friday they received two different reports of housebreaking and robbery. Kadiatla said the incidents took place in Phase 1 whereby two women aged 32 and 35 were robbed of their personal belongings including phones respectively. Therefore, he called for resident to start neighbourhood watches to curb crime such as housebreaking. He said they will try to enhance their patrols by increasing their manpower and possibly engaging the Botswana Defence Force.