Grassy Park police are on the hunt for an alleged fraudster accused of scamming a grieving widow out of R87 000 in home and car payments.
After nearly a year of confusion about her financial affairs, Gloria Maharaj has piemped her financial advisor, Lee Ann Visagie, to police after discovering she was being conned for months after her husband died.
The traumatised woman says her husband, who served in the SA Navy for more than 40 years as a radar lecturer, suffered a sudden heart attack in July last year and weeks later he died.
She approached the company appointed by her husband for the execution of his estate but says she was referred to Visagie to get assistance in tracing his insurance policies.
Her husband had left her money to pay their home loan and car instalments and she says shortly after consulting with Visagie, she visited her at home.
'SKELM': Lee Ann Visagie allegedly stole R87 000
“In September she was back here and said, ‘here are all the details for the Mazda and the home loan’, so I said, ‘OK, I will go and pay it cash at the bank on the weekend,” says Gloria.
“She phoned me and asked if I paid and I said I was going on the Saturday and she said she was in the area and was going to Claremont and she will come and assist me.
“She said, ‘I am here to help you and you are going through so much, I want to take that burden off you’.”
Gloria says in the months that followed, Visagie befriended her and advised her to do internet banking.
Visagie allegedly came to the widow’s home and loaded a banking app on her phone and loaded two bank accounts as beneficiaries.
Gloria says Visagie also took over her email accounts where the statements were being sent to, saying she “would handle it”.
However, in December Gloria was notified by the bank that a large amount of R60 000 had been transferred to one of the accounts, named “MFC”.
She became suspicious and contacted Mazda but was informed that her car had not been paid since her husband died.
GONE: Gloria's late husband served in SA Navy
“She loaded her own personal bank account number on the app under the name of the car and home loan,” the angry widow says.
She then went back to the company who referred Visagie to her and informed them.
The director of the company, who asked not to be named, says she got a skrik when she realised what had happened.
“We had made use of Visagie of VSG Consulting Group before because we do not specialise in insurance policies and her job was to trace the policies of Mr. Maharaj and proceed with informing them of his death,” the director explained.
“We had no idea what she was doing and we have tried to trace her but she has since gone on the run. We have also opened a criminal case against her.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says a fraud case has been registered by Grassy Park police: “The total value of the fraud is R87 000, no arrest has been made as yet.”
Daily Voice was unable to reach Visagie on Thursday.
Anyone with information about Visagie can call the police on 084 012 3341
.
monique.duval@inl.co.za