Mpumalanga Hawks have issued a warning to the public to be vigilant regarding card skimming machines at any point of card payment. This alert follows suspicions of bank card skimming devices being used by some fuel attendants at a filling station near the Middelburg toll gate on the N4 highway. Internal audit investigations conducted by ABSA, Standard Bank, and FNB banks led to the apprehension of 32-year-old Sifiso Masuku from the Kingdom of Eswatini by members of the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigations in Middelburg on Monday, 4 March 2024. Masuku was allegedly caught in possession of a bank card skimming device during a search and seizure operation while on duty. It’s reported that more than R2.8 million was stolen from motorists at the filling station. Masuku appeared briefly at the Middelburg Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning, facing charges under the Cybercrime Act of 2020. “The latest figure that we received during our investigation is that from ABSA only, he managed to defraud customers over R2.8 million,” said Hawks spokesperson Lucy Sekgotodi, noting that the amount could be higher pending further investigation. She emphasized the prevalence of such crimes in the area, highlighting previous arrests related to cloned cards. “Motorists need to be very careful at filling stations and keep a close eye on what petrol attendants are doing with their cards,” she cautioned, advising caution during card transactions in general due to the widespread presence of card cloning machines. Masuku’s case was postponed to Friday, 8 March 2024, for verification of his residential address, and then to 19 April for a formal bail application
