Online dating has increasingly become a method criminals use to defraud unsuspecting women, the Hawks say.
Two women were recently defrauded of R900 000 and R170 000 respectively by fraudsters who posed as suitors from Belgium and Scotland, according to the Hawks.
The Hawks, SA's directorate for priority crime investigation, say people who visit online dating sites should be vigilant and not fall for suitors that require them to deposit or transfer any money without verifying if they are chatting with a fraudster or a potential companion.
The Hawks also warned the public not to accept money in exchange for opening bank accounts for other people. The investigation unit says it has detected a trend in which citizens receive money to open bank accounts for people they do not know.
Over 55 suspects have so far been arrested for crimes varying from Internet fraud, to phishing and SIM swap fraud. The account numbers used by these suspects to transfer money were found to have been legally opened by South Africans, who voluntarily handed over their cards and PINs for a fee.
"Investigations have revealed that most people have become the subjects of investigations after their accounts were found to have been used to receive or transfer money, which has been defrauded from other victims.
"Criminals who hack people's online banking details use those recklessly opened bank accounts to distribute the money online and make withdrawals throughout the country," the Hawks say.
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