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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A Harare woman, believed to be part of a fraudulent online pyramid scheme syndicate in which thousands of people have lost their money countrywide, has been arrested on allegations of defrauding two women of $6 000.
Lissa Mvurume (22) of Montagu Flats in Harare’s Avenues appeared in court on Monday facing two counts of fraud.
She appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Bianca Makwande, who remanded her out of custody to September 29.
Mvurume misrepresented to the victims that after depositing $3 000 into a given foreign account, their money would multiply after seven days.
Prosecutor Mr Peter Kachirika alleged that sometime in July this year, Mvurume formed a WhatsApp group and named it “Binary Trading” which she said was a money making scheme based in the United States of America.
Mvurume misrepresented to members of the group that when she joined Binary Trading, she deposited $6 000 and reaped a dividend of $27 300.
after just seven days.
Ruth Machakanja and Lusayo Ndambasha showed interest and were asked to pay a minimum $3 000 as a joining fee whch she claimed would translate to $13 500 after seven days.
She indicated that their dividends would be deposited into her ZB bank account, which she said had the blessings of the scheme officials.
She added that she would later transfer the money into their accounts.
Following the misrepresentation, Machakanja and Ndambasha deposited $3 000 each into account 178617100780, supplied by Mvurume.
Seven days lapsed but nothing materialised and when they contacted Mvurume she became evasive and kept on changing the goalsposts.
The victims became suspicious and reported the matter to the police.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) has warned members of the public to be on the lookout for some individuals who are masquerading as recruitment officers with the intention of duping job-seekers into believing that they can facilitate employment for them, reports Freeman Razemba.
In a statement on Tuesday, ZPCS acting public relations officer Superintendent Priscilla Mthembo said there has been information circulating on social media purporting that they were going to conduct a recruitment exercise at Ntabazinduna Prisons Training School from September 14 to 17.
“ZPCS would like to put it on record that no such recruitment exercise is taking place at Ntabazinduna Prisons Training School. In the event of a recruitment exercise being conducted, the organisation advertises through the mainstream media such as newspapers, television and radio and not social media.
Supt Mthembo urged members of the public to contact ZPCS public relations office on (04) 762724 or staff officer human resources on (04) 777385 for any information pertaining to employment opportunities or prospects within the service.
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