Before they had the better of her, she never believed she could fall for such cheap tricks. Two months ago, the tricksters conned her of her mother's P5,000 with promises of a lucrative job. Her desperation led her to temptation. She fell victim when two smart looking men promised to employ her at their newly opened cash loan. Later on, she was told to invest her money temporarily into the company and she obliged. But to her utter surprise she later found out the company never existed after the conmen had disappeared.
Tricksters can pounce anytime, but they are more rampant during month ends. Many people like Gibson say it is not easy to resist the fraudsters, especially in this era when money is highly in demand. Gone are the days when Batswana were engaged in barter trade. Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer, Inspector Chifana Toitoi says fraud has become an industry, not just for the fraudsters. "Academics study it, investigators investigate it, lawyers litigate on it, conference goers debate on it," said Toitoi during a crime prevention workshop at Marang Hotel recently. He says fraud originates from greed and arrogance. Some of the most common fraud involve cheques, credit card, counterfeit currency and use of computers, false identity cards, labour and immigration documents.
Toitoi said that despite the fact that statistics indicate a dramatic escalation in the incidents of fraud over the past years, certain company executives still dismiss the suggestion that they may be victims. However, he states that the recent KPMG Africa Fraud and Misconduct Survey (2005) shows that respondents in Botswana see fraud as a major problem in business today and 93% of them indicated that they believe fraud will increase.
He cited weakening society values, criminals becoming sophisticated and economic pressure as some of the major factors leading to increased fraud. Many people are engaged in fraud because they want to live beyond their means, they have huge personal debts, they have suffered financial losse, they are in gambling, drugs or they are under pressure from the family to succeed.
There are basic scams such as Nigerian letters known as 419, black money, advance fee scams, prizes that come with a price, identity theft and online auctions. The 419 fraud involves letters written by tricksters claiming to have access to fortunes of famous albeit dead people. They promise a share of the loot if they get help from their potential victims to move the money. But in many cases, the victims lose badly either by paying some advance fee for processing transactions or the conman and woman cleaning their accounts.
Black money fraud involves victims being presented with blackened paper, the size of bank notes that suddenly appear to become authentic in contact with special substance. Victims are then offered the possibility to get substantial sums if they provide the funds necessary to purchase the chemicals to clean black money and make legal tender.
In some cases of fraud, the victims are asked to pay in advance for receiving a credit card loan or scholarship. After the payment, the conman or women either disappears or forwards worthless junk. Toitoi concedes that fraudsters are usually intelligent, innovative and very familiar even with the internal mechanisms of the company they seek to exploit.
He says a theoretical study, forensic accounting and computing and fraud examination are some of the solutions to overcome fraud. Though Toitoi expresses disappointment at the law concerning fraud, he strongly believes that government's cooperation with the private sector should be considered to fight the crime. He laments that Botswana has no clear law specifically dealing at fraud. Hence fraudsters are charged with obtaining by false pretence.
Toitoi blames improving technology for fuelling fraud. "The rise of computers and other high level technology has paved way for the advent of new ways to commit crime on a global scale," he says. He adds that an increasing dependence on computer technology and associated change enhanced opportunities for fraud, making all communities vulnerable. He advised that business people must recognise fraud as a permanent risk, which they must take action to curb. The managing director of Roadway Butchery, Granny Sesupeng concurs with Toitoi that the law has a loophole in addressing fraud.
"Lack of proper laws gives room for fraudsters to manoeuvre easily," she laments. Sesupeng feels that the kind of conditions under which people live may have a strong link to criminal activities such as fraud. She indicated that there is need for mental transformation that will allow people to say 'No' to criminal acts.
