Many South Africans know the pain of finding unauthorised debit orders on their statements.
Now, police are trying to bring company directors allegedly running these debit order scams to account.
On Sunday, just after landing at OR Tambo International Airport from London, 38-year-old Jason Foster was arrested. He is the director of Durban-based call centre companies Blue Debit and Talent Base.
Jason Foster was arrested in connection with R125 million’s unauthorised debit order fraud.
Hawks spokesperson, Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu, said Foster was the second person to be arrested in the fraud investigation involving about R125 million in unauthorised debit orders.
Foster’s co-accused Richard Marsden, 51, was arrested last year at the Cape Town International Airport. He had also just landed from London.
Marsden is out on bail and police are looking to arrest more suspects.
Mulamu said it was alleged that, between November 2018 and February 2019, Foster and Marsden created a fraudulent bank payment system to collect debit orders for call centres, which resulted in unauthorised debit orders being loaded.
Further investigations revealed that an amount of R125 million was transferred into different bank accounts, including that of Foster and Marsden.
Mulamu said Foster had appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday and was granted bail of R30 000.
Both Foster and Marsden are expected back in court on 27 May.
Mulamu said police are still on the hunt for outstanding suspects.