Struggle veteran Dr Tshenuwani Farisani has become the latest victim of greedy scammers. This follows the hacking of his phone by impersonators who are out to fleece people of their hard-earned cash, using Farisani's name.
The scammers seemingly gained access to Farisani's phone numbers and contacted his friends, proclaiming to be him and requesting them to send R2 500, with the promise to pay it back by midnight that same day. The fraud was first reported last Friday.
The Dr Tshenuwani Farisani Foundation has since expressed its dismay and distanced its founder from these money requests. The foundation's spokesperson, Mr Kenny Mathivha, apparently also came close to being swindled. "It was around 07:00 in the morning when I received a message from Dr Farisani's number, asking for the money. Being very close to him and knowing where he lives made me suspicious, and I told the person requesting for help that I will only transfer money once I have spoken to him in person. I called his (Farisani's) numbers, only to find that they were not working. It was then that I realised it was a scam and later found out that I was not the only one, but that many others also received this message," he said.
Mathivha says Farisani was shattered when he heard about it. "You must realise that the foundation was recently launched with only good intentions, and now some heartless people are trying to cheat people out of their money, using Dr Farisani's name. This is bad, especially at his advanced age. We urge everyone not to take this request seriously," Mathivha said.
The Dr Tshenuwani Farisani Foundation's chairperson, Justice Joseph Raulinga, expressed his shock over the scam and said that Dr Farisani would never go out asking people for favours. "On behalf of Rev Dr Tshenuwani Farisani, we wish to categorically place it that he (Farisani) has never, nor will he ever ask anyone for favours or money," he said.
The secretary of the foundation, Dr Fhatuwani Mutuvhi, also requested those who receive such a message, purporting to be from Farisani, to report it immediately to their nearest law-enforcement offices.
A case of fraud and extortion has already been opened with the police for investigation.