The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it has recovered R21.55 million that was stolen from a company in Middelburg through a WhatsApp banking scam and has returned the funds to the victim. The NPA says the money had been diverted from the company and is now restored following legal action.
The recovery is linked to High Court forfeiture orders. These orders allow authorities to seize proceeds believed to be connected to criminal activity and to return them, in appropriate circumstances, to victims. The report focuses on the successful outcome for the affected company, while not detailing broader investigations, the identities of those allegedly responsible, or whether there were additional victims.
Different outlets typically vary in what they emphasize, such as the scale of the loss, the legal mechanism used to restore funds, or the wider pattern of WhatsApp scams. In this case, the shared emphasis is on the amount recovered and the role of the High Court forfeiture process in enabling the return of the money.
