Cape Town – An innocent police officer, Sergeant Heinreich Bester, of Boksburg North in Gauteng, has reportedly become a victim of character assassination after a bogus police officer used his photograph to extort money from victims for the past three years.
According to The South African, the bogus police officer sends Whatsapp messages to people posing as a police officer named John Smith.
The person uses a photo of Sergeant Bester in his police uniform and then claims to be investigating a case against the victim. After that, he demands money to help the victim get out of the mess.
The scammer sends these types of “convincing messages” to a large number of people in the hope that someone will fall for the bait.
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Boksburg Advertiser quoted Bester as saying that the scam has negatively impacted on his life and that of his family.
“It has made my life hell. Some people believe I am the one sending those messages. Even some of my colleagues started treating me differently, wondering if I am indeed the one sending the messages. However, these messages are not coming from me although my photo is being used. It is still unclear if more than one person is using my photo to send the messages,” The report quoted Bester as saying.
The police have urged anyone with information regarding the bogus police officer(s) to report to their nearest police station.
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Picture: Facebook/ South African Police Services
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Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
