'Fraud Queen behind social grant heist'

31 May 2016 - 08:39 By ARON HYMAN and GRAEME HOSKEN

A 46-year-old KwaZulu-Natal woman is allegedly a key player in the biggest social grant fraud operation in the country's history. At the weekend the Hawks swooped on 15 people across the country who allegedly stole more than R2.3-million involving 400 SA Social Security Agency grants.This syndicate falls under a broader criminal investigation involving fraudulent social grants of more than R34.7-million.Yesterday the woman and 13 co-accused appeared in the Bellville Magistrate's Court. Another accused appeared in a KwaZulu-Natal court. Six of the suspects, including the woman, remained in custody, while the rest were granted bail.Hawks spokesman Major Robert Netshiunda said the investigation began in 2014 after five suspicious pension withdrawals were made in North West by different people using a Sassa card with the same photograph.The investigation expanded to Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape, where the alleged mastermind was nabbed."Our investigations show she was instrumental in introducing the different syndicate members to each other," said Netshiunda.He said more than 500 cases of identity fraud related to the fraudulent social grants were uncovered.The KwaZulu-Natal leg of the operation led to a house in Scottburgh, where fraudulent identity documents, which were being manufactured, were seized."The homes were set up and operating exactly like a Sassa office. They were equipped with everything needed to produce a social grant card, including printers, electronic storage devices, bank cards, Sassa cards and computers with Department of Social Development software," Netshiunda said.Renay Ogle, Sassa's fraud management and compliance department general manager, said: "This definitely is the biggest [bust] of such syndicates. We took down every level of the syndicate including the middle men."This money we are losing through alleged fraudulent incidents is an attack on the poorest of the poor. It renders us unable to provide security against vulnerability and poverty."..

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