Man forced to transfer funds at Gunpoint in Durban – KZN

KwaZulu Natal (Durban): A 47 year old man resident of Durban, KwaZulu Natal was held at gunpoint at a traffic light and forced to transfer R85,000 into an account.

According to the victim, the incident occurred on 14 December 2023, afternoon and in full view of passing motorists and pedestrians.

The victim contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) days later to report the matter & warn the general public.

According to the victim, he was parked at the traffic light when two (2) males approached his bakkie at the left & right front doors.

Both produced pistols and instructed him to unlock the doors. The man explained that he could not drive off as he was parked between other vehicles. The suspects then got in and instructed him to park on the roadside when the traffic light changed to green.

The victim further explained that he was asked to open his banking app (Institution details withheld) on his mobile phone and create a beneficiary with the details provided. He then received a One Time Pin (OPT) via SMS.

The suspects checked his account balance and forced him to transfer R85,000 into the account with an immediate clearance. They threatened to shoot him in the head if the transaction was unsuccessful. When the funds were transferred, they then stole his mobile phone and vehicle keys and fled.

Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) did not attend to this callout & this information was not verified.

However, residents are in shock as they believe that the victims should go to the police station directly. “They were obviously not going to kill him as they would have already. I would be terrified if I was in that ordeal; the first thing I would have done was report it,” said one of the residents.

Furthermore, he asserted, “Nothing major if he had a case open, that account number is easily traceable. Maybe I sound mean, but hey, it’s December…. people make up and do a lot of crazy things, and this story sounds like one of them.”