Office of Chief Justice warns of scam targeting SCA judge
· Citizen
A brazen impersonation scam targeting one of South Africa’s senior judges has prompted an urgent public warning.
This follows reports that fraudsters allegedly created a WhatsApp account in the name of Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Justice Dumisani Zondi and began contacting members of the public using his photograph.
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Fake message
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) said it has noted the fake messages and is warning the public to take precautions.
“According to the information available to the OCJ, the individual/s sent WhatsApp messages purporting to be from Justice Dumisani Zondi, using a profile picture of his likeness.”
The OCJ said the mobile number from which the message came is 076 208 2834 and is registered on WhatsApp as belonging to ‘Justice Dumisani Zondi’.
“The public is warned not to fall prey to this impersonator and needs to be aware that misrepresenting a state of affairs, knowing that it is not true, to the prejudice of someone else is fraud. The matter will be reported to the relevant authorities for further handling.”
The public and media have been asked to contact the OCJ to verify the authenticity of any communication, directive, article or social media post that purports to be from a Judge.
Not the first time
In August this year, the OCJ warned the public about a fraudster impersonating Acting Judge President Zamani Nhlangulela of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court through WhatsApp.
According to the OCJ, the impersonator used Nhlangulela’s photograph and a phone number registered in his name to send messages designed to mislead recipients into believing they were communicating with the senior judge.
The OCJ described the conduct as fraud and said it would report the matter to the relevant authorities.
The OCJ urged members of the public and the media to verify any communication purportedly from a judge.