Three men faced mob justice in Verulam CBD, KwaZulu-Natal, after community members caught them selling broken tiles disguised as smartphones.
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received a distress call about a mob assaulting three suspects on Moss Street.
Reaction Officers arrived at the scene and discovered that the men had been running a scam involving fake Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra sales.
How the Scammers Worked
The suspects allegedly lured buyers by showing a genuine Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to demonstrate its features.
They pretended to be in urgent need of cash and offered the phone at a discounted price.
After completing the deal, they handed over a sealed Samsung Galaxy S24 box containing what seemed to be a phone wrapped in toilet paper.
When buyers opened the package later, they found only a broken tile inside.
Victims Expose the Fraud
The scam surfaced after an elderly man lost R100 and another victim lost R500. Both victims quickly realised they had been tricked and raised the alarm.
Members of the public apprehended the suspects and discovered a bag with two more phone boxes filled with broken tiles.
The crowd forced the suspects to return the stolen money to the victims before RUSA intervened.
Should communities take action against suspected scammers, or leave it to the police to handle fraud cases?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
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