… facata strikes again
MANZINI – A 58-year-old man of Ngwane Park has lost E118 172.91 to unknown callers in what police have recorded as a case of theft by false pretences.
The man reported the matter to the police on Tuesday at about 12:54pm, stating that he was in Manzini when the incident occurred.
The circumstances surrounding how the callers convinced him to part with the money were not immediately disclosed.
Police have recorded the matter as theft by false pretences and the suspects had not been identified at the time of going to press.
The incident is suspected to be linked to the growing problem of ‘facata’, a form of fraud in which criminals use telephone calls and other forms of communication to manipulate people into surrendering money or confidential financial information.
The latest case comes amid repeated warnings about fraudsters who allegedly pose as officials from banks or other institutions in an attempt to convince unsuspecting members of the public that their accounts or money are at risk.
In some reported cases, fraudsters allegedly tell their targets that their bank accounts have been hacked or that suspicious transactions have been detected.
The callers then allegedly persuade their targets to take immediate action to protect their money.
This may include providing banking credentials, one-time passwords or other confidential information, or transferring money into accounts controlled by the fraudsters.
The method is similar to a number of ‘facata’ cases previously reported by the Times of Eswatini and investigated by law enforcement agencies.
In April this year, this publication reported on a suspected ‘facata’ syndicate whose members allegedly targeted MTN Mobile Money agents by posing as officials and falsely claiming that their business phones had been hacked or infected with a virus.
The suspects allegedly used deception to convince their targets to take actions that enabled them to obtain money.
The case resulted in charges including theft by false pretences, money laundering and contraventions of the Computer Crime and Cybercrime Act.
In another case reported in February, three alleged members of a ‘facata’ syndicate appeared before the Manzini Magistrates Court facing 60 charges linked to an alleged E400 000 cyber fraud operation.
The accused were alleged to have targeted bank customers by falsely informing them that their accounts had been compromised.
They allegedly persuaded the customers to transfer their funds into accounts controlled by the suspects under the guise of securing their money.
The cases have highlighted the lengths to which fraudsters allegedly go in order to gain the trust of their targets before obtaining access to their money.
The amounts involved in such cases have also raised concern, with previous reports showing that members of the public have lost substantial sums of money through different forms of alleged fraud.
In December 2025, the Times of Eswatini reported that a man from Siphofaneni had been arrested in connection with 22 charges of theft by false pretences and other financial offences involving more than E1.4 million.
The accused was alleged to have been part of a syndicate that used different schemes, including false tenders, ‘washa washa’ and the sale of precious stones, to allegedly defraud members of the public.
Meanwhile, financial institutions have previously warned customers against engaging with callers who claim that they can assist in protecting their money.
Members of the public have been urged not to entertain unsolicited callers claiming that they want to safeguard their money. Customers have also been advised to verify any suspicious communication through official channels before taking action. The circumstances surrounding the reported loss of E118 172.91 remain subject to police investigation.
The identity of the callers and the manner in which the money was allegedly obtained had not been established at the time of going to press.
Police have previously urged members of the public to exercise caution when receiving unsolicited calls relating to their bank accounts or money.
Members of the public have also been advised not to disclose banking credentials, passwords or one-time passwords to people calling them and claiming to be from financial institutions.
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