Estate agent nabbed for fraud linked to R3m scam spanning three provinces 28 April 2021 - 21:34 By Khanyisile Ngcobo A bogus Mpumalanga estate agent accused of fraud has been linked to a wider scam amounting to R3m. Stock image. Image: 123RF/Ufuk Zivana
A bogus estate agent accused of fraudulently selling houses to desperate buyers has been linked to a wider scam spanning three provinces and amounting to more than R3m.
Annica van Staden, 46, appeared in the Middelburg magistrate s court on Wednesday on fraud charges after being rearrested this week in Boksburg. She had been sought by authorities since November after failing to appear in court after her initial arrest in Soweto in 2019.
Suspected fraudster on the run for a year found hiding in Boksburg
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Johannesburg - An estate agent who allegedly sold peopleâs RDP houses fraudulently has been re-arrested after she was found hiding in a Boksburg house.
Annica Van Staden was allegedly found with all her luggage packed and police claim she was ready to flee to Cape Town when they nabbed her.
The Hawks had been looking for Van Staden, 46, for after she was granted bail in August 2019 and failed to return to court in November 2020.
Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi of the Mpumalanga Hawks said allegations were that Van Staden registered a business called Housing First Property in Mpumalanga between October 2014 and July 2015.
Annica Van Staden (46) is sought by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in Mpumalanga for alleged fraud, after she masterminded a devastating scheme that swindled thousands from prospective home buyers. The suspect, who has been in hiding for almost half a year, took payments on houses that simply WERE NOT up for sale.
‘Find the fraudster’: Hawks hunting for ‘fake estate agent’
– Her calculated crimewave spanned between October 2014 and July 2015.
– Van Staden allegedly transferred money to other agents she employed, after taking payments on houses ‘not up for sale’.
– However, none of them, including herself were registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board.
Annica Van Staden (46) is sought by the Hawksâ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in Mpumalanga for alleged fraud, after she masterminded a devastating scheme that swindled thousands from prospective home buyers.
The suspect, who has been in hiding for almost half a year, took payments on houses that simply WERE NOT up for sale.
After releasing a list of criminals sought for a number of violent crimes on Monday, both SAPS and the Hawks are now seeking help from the public in a bid to bring this fraudster to justice. The following case details have been established:
â Her calculated crimewave spanned between October 2014 and July 2015.