48-year-old Vincent Christian Mkumbo made a brief appearance before Kuruman Magistrate’s Court on 04 October 2024, for alleged cyber fraud, alternative fraud, alternative forgery and uttering.
It is alleged that the Tanzanian citizen, is well-known as Chris manufactures and sells fraudulent vehicle license discs in order to avoid going to the Traffic Department for renewal. He received old expired vehicle license disc and clients would later collect for an amount of R350-00. He then gives clients a printout of the same license disc with an extended expiration date or which he renewed.
On Thursday, 03 October 2024, a search and seizure disruptive operation was conducted at Promise Land, Kuruman. During the search, a red and black USB memory stick and the accused’s cellphone were seized for further investigation. Accused was immediately apprehended by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team.
Mkumbo was released on R500-00 bail with the condition of informing the investigating officer about his movements out of Kuruman at all times. The case is postponed to 5 December 2024.
What is Fraud? “Fraud” is any activity that relies on deception in order to achieve a gain. Fraud becomes a crime when it is a “knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to his or her detriment” (Black’s Law Dictionary). In other words, if you lie in order to deprive a person or organization of their money or property, you’re committing fraud.