Wedding venue scammer arrested for hundreds of thousands in fraud

BOKSBURG – A 53 year old woman who scammed seventeen couples have been arrested by RUSA Officers on Tuesday morning. The Shallcross woman (53) collected monies via eft from the couples for use of a wedding venue in Botha’s Hill in Kwazulu Natal. The venue was booked out to multiple couples on the same day without the suspect having ownership.

Families arrived at the premises on the wedding day to find that it was double booked, had no electricity or water and the building in a dilapidated condition. The suspect would demand monies prior to the venue been viewed.

A couple living in Ethekweni approached Reaction Unit South Africa in December 2024 after they were scammed out of R26 000. When details of the Wedding Venue Scam was circulated, the RUSA Operations Centre received seventeen (17) calls for assistance regarding the same suspect.

Complainants were from several provinces in South Africa. A Detective from SAPS Boksburg North then contacted Reaction Officers and informed that the same suspect was wanted for two cases of Fraud opened in Gauteng in 2024. The woman had defrauded a car dealership of R200 000 and a couple for R26 000. Crime Administration Numbers (CAS) were provided by the Detective.

Reaction Officers lured the suspect this morning and after a brief interview arrested the woman. She informed Officers that she was a Criminal Attorney that had been barred by the Law Society after she stole funds from a clients Trust Fund account.

It was later established that the suspect was convicted for Fraud and has a criminal record and a history if scams spanning over 20 years. Detectives from SAPS Boksburg North will be travelling to Kwazulu Natal to transport the suspect back to Gauteng for futher investigations.