There has been a large increase in the daily number of\u00a0bank clients that fall victim to cash robberies, according to a new report by the\u00a0South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric).<\/p>\n
Sabric said that over R21 million had already been stolen from January to June in 2017, pointing to an upwards trend as\u00a0incidents increased by 4% from 2015 to 2016.<\/p>\n
The report noted that\u00a0robberies were not limited to urban areas, but also occur in rural towns across South Africa.<\/p>\n
The Eastern Cape saw the largest increase (48%) from 2015 to 2016, while in the first six months of 2017 Gauteng has shown the highest number of incidents (382) followed by KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the Free State.<\/p>\n
The attacks are also becoming increasingly violent, with\u00a027 recorded fatalities and 69 injuries due to cash robberies\u00a0from 2014 to June 2017.<\/p>\n
“It is shocking that bank clients, who are the victims of these crimes, are killed and injured during these robberies,” said\u00a0Kalyani Pillay, CEO of Sabric.<\/p>\n
“This is why we encourage bank customers to find safer ways to transact instead of carrying large amounts of cash.”<\/p>\n
The modus operandi usually sees the perpetrators follow a victim to their residence, place of work, or any other place where it is easy to rob them, according to Sabric.<\/p>\n
In addition to being verbally abusive, robbers will resort to violence if necessary, particularly if the victim resists. In most robberies, robbers are armed with handguns.<\/p>\n
It noted that these criminals now no longer only target individuals, but were increasingly targeting business owners who deposit or withdraw large amounts of cash.<\/p>\n
“The modus operandi using a spotter is quite prevalent.”<\/p>\n
“Spotters are individuals who enter the bank purporting to be clients, and will even queue to give the impression that they are bank clients. Their sole purpose is to identify victims who have made a cash withdrawal.”<\/p>\n
“They communicate the victims\u2019 description to accomplices who wait outside the bank. These accomplices then follow the victim and rob them of their cash.”<\/p>\n
Sabric laid out the following tips for businesses and individuals:<\/p>\n
Tips for Individuals<\/strong><\/p>\n Tips for\u00a0Businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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