The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has obtained an urgent court order preserving approximately R21.55 million stolen from a Mpumalanga company through what appears to have been a sophisticated social-engineering attack involving the impersonation of bank officials.
The preservation order, granted by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Middelburg on 12 June 2026, prevents the suspected proceeds of crime from being dissipated while forfeiture proceedings continue.
According to the NPA, the matter arose after Middelburg-based company Jormid fell victim to an elaborate fraud scheme on 21 May 2026.
The company’s financial manager, Mrs Jordaan, reportedly received WhatsApp messages purporting to originate from ABSA Bank. The messages warned that suspicious transactions had been detected on Jormid’s business account and requested confirmation of whether they had been authorised.
After indicating that she did not recognise the transactions, Jordaan received a telephone call from an individual claiming to be an official from the bank’s fraud division.
According to the NPA, the caller enlisted her assistance in cancelling the purported fraudulent transactions and instructed her to approve several electronic links sent to her cellphone.
While the call was still in progress, a colleague alerted Jordaan that substantial payments had already been processed from the company’s account without authorisation.
The transactions allegedly totalled approximately R21.55m.
Jormid immediately reported the matter to the bank’s fraud department and opened a criminal case with the South African Police Service in Middelburg.
The matter was referred to the AFU on 29 May 2026, triggering an investigation and the involvement of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).
According to the NPA, the AFU submitted an urgent intervention request to the FIC, which subsequently directed ABSA Bank to freeze funds held in nine bank accounts suspected of receiving the proceeds of the fraud.
Armed with evidence gathered during the investigation and the FIC’s intervention, the AFU approached the High Court on an urgent ex parte basis and secured a preservation order under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) covering the nine accounts.
The order effectively locks down the funds pending the finalisation of forfeiture proceedings.
The NPA said the criminal investigation remains ongoing.
The suspected perpetrators are expected to face charges including fraud, theft, and money laundering.
Growing threat of social-engineering fraud
The facts outlined by the NPA point to a form of fraud that has become increasingly common internationally and locally: social-engineering attacks that exploit trust rather than technical vulnerabilities.
Instead of breaching banking systems directly, fraudsters impersonate trusted institutions and manipulate account holders into authorising actions that facilitate the theft of funds.
The use of WhatsApp messages, telephone calls, and apparent fraud alerts mirrors tactics frequently employed by organised criminal groups targeting both individuals and businesses.
Finance executives, treasury departments, and authorised banking users are increasingly being warned to verify any requests relating to account security through independently sourced contact details rather than information provided in unsolicited messages or calls.
The case also illustrates how South Africa’s anti-money-laundering and asset forfeiture framework can be deployed in the aftermath of major financial crime.
A preservation order obtained under POCA is distinct from the initial freezing of funds by a financial institution or regulatory authority. It places the assets under the protection of the court and prevents their disposal while the state pursues forfeiture proceedings.
Such orders are frequently used where authorities believe property may constitute the proceeds of unlawful activities or has been used in the commission of an offence.
For victims of fraud, the ability to identify and freeze funds before they are dispersed through multiple accounts is often critical to any prospect of recovery.
