Hundreds of residents from Mossel Bay and Knysna in the Garden Route District have lost up to R5-million in life savings in an alleged cryptocurrency investment scam.
The cryptocurrency investment scheme was run by a company called Trinity Tokens.
The scammers have since fled their offices in Mossel Bay and Knysna.
The case was reported to the Mossel Bay police station and has been transferred to the commercial branch of the Hawks for further investigation.
According to reports, the scammers have been running a nationwide syndicate, operating in different small towns.
It is believed they were also operating in the Eastern Cape, where they defrauded people in Aliwal North.
IRS Forensic Investigations’ Chad Thomas told the Mossel Bay Advertiser that the scammers were operating in plain sight.
“Normally, scammers operating in the cryptocurrency forex trading space hide behind computers and lure their victims in through social media, whereas in this case, these guys operated in plain sight giving slick presentations directly from their offices,”
“A lot of information has come in via our reporting platforms and we believe that we will be able to establish the true identity of these suspects and their whereabouts. All information will be passed on to the state law enforcement agencies immediately to assist in this case,” he said
