Businesswoman Connie Ferguson appears to be a victim of unscrupulous forex traders who impersonated her to defraud unsuspecting people of their hard-earned cash.
Ferguson has been cited as a respondent in an urgent application for a court interdict by a Joburg woman, Matokgo Elizabeth Makutoane, to stop her defrauders from transferring over R800 000 she deposited into the account of the company owned by the con artists.
The application, which we have seen, was filed in the Joburg High Court last week and is expected to be heard soon.
In the application, Makutoane said on March 3 she saw an investment opportunity advertised on “Ferguson’s Facebook page”.
The account holder uses Ferguson’s image on her profile picture
She said she enquired about it and later left her contact details on the page and asked to be contacted.
Between March 4 and 13, she said, she and “Ferguson”, who acted as an agent for a company called America Options Trade (AOT), communicated via WhatsApp messages, and later entered into an agreement with the entity and its representative, Michael Larry.
The agreement, she said, was entered into tacitly and implicitly through WhatsApp messages and WhatsApp phone calls after which Larry and “Ferguson” furnished her with the banking details of their colleagues Radebe Radebe and Nhlavatelo Hazel to deposit the funds.
In terms of the agreement, she said, she was to invest R100 000 with the company and earn returns on investment to the tune of R10-million.
Her withdrawal of investment, she said, would be within 14 days from March 4, which was the date of the first investment.
She was also, in terms of the agreement, supposed to pay a withdrawal fee of R256 000.
She said between March 4 and 13 she deposited R100 000 and erroneously deposited R302 000 in lieu of R256 000 in respect of the withdrawal fee.
After investing the funds, the AOT refused to pay back her capital investment amount (R100 000) and the R10 000 000.
She said on March 15, Larry phoned her and said she had to pay $47 000 for a remittance card in order for her to be able to withdraw her capital invested amount plus returns.
She said they told her this even though it was not part of their initial agreement.
Later, she said, she discussed this matter with “Ferguson” who backed Larry’s sentiments about the card.
In desperation to recover her money, she applied for loans between April 4 and 24 and made further payments to the tune of R460 000 into the account of the swindlers.
This after Larry had tacitly agreed that if she paid R460 000 she would be able to withdraw her investment afterwards.
“Accordingly, the applicant paid a total sum of R867 000 into the fourth to the seventh respondents’ bank accounts,” read the papers.
She said when she contacted the AOT to pay her capital invested amount plus returns, Larry refused and instead ordered her to pay an additional $9 000 so she could get her money back including the R10-million.
She said “Ferguson” asked her via WhatsApp message on April 12 if she was able to secure the $9 000, to which she replied that she was still looking for it.
She said she consulted MV Maroleng (Legal Recoveries and Collections ) on April 17 who issued a letter of demand to “Ferguson” and Larry to remit payment.
She said the sheriff of the court also attempted in vain to serve letters on them on April 28 as the business address they provided on the advert did not exist.
Makutoane wants the court to grant her an order to freeze accounts belonging to Radebe and his colleagues so she can get her funds back.
Speaking to Sunday World, the media mogul said Makutoane was scammed as she has never plied her trade in forex industry.
“They must just remove my name there quickly and I hope that this poor woman can get her money back,” she said.
The actress also said despite irritated by impersonators who scam people, she would not press criminal charges as she was too busy.
