Key Points
- Hawks arrest fake broker Ruan Maritz after he impoverished investors to the tune of R2 million.
- Under false pretenses Maritz presented himself as a foreign exchange broker who claimed to offer substantial profit opportunities to investors.
- The same conviction as Mfundo Manci occurred in Case involving cryptocurrency fraud.
The Hawks detained a 30-year-old male who scammed R2 million from investors through his counterfeit forex trading business by offering false lucrative returns.
Hawks arrest fake broker, Maritz for a fraudulent forex trading con
The authorities arrested Ruan Maritz on March 25 in Hartswater located in the Northern Cape province to investigate his multiple fraudulent activities.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation through Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe affirmed that Maritz deceived province residents when he pretended to work as a broker for both Quick Trade Investment and Forex Trading.
The investment contract from the broker to clients ensured a 50% match on their initial investment which he failed to honor according to Thebe.
The fraudulent operation resulted in R2 million worth of losses for all affected victims.
Maritz granted bail; case postponed
On March 26 Maritz briefly attended the Hartswater Magistrate’s Court to obtain bail at R50,000. The future court proceeding for Maritz will occur on May 12, 2025.
The recent arrest occurs in relation to a similar Durban case where 33-year-old Mfundo Manci was sentenced to ten years behind bars for his cryptocurrency-based fraud against investors.
Manci operated Crypto Mzansi Group (PTY) LTD without delivering promised high returns thus forcing him to drain new investment funds to pay his previous investors which resulted in the collapse of his operation.Manci received his punishment after eluding with investors’ capital
Manci vanished after the crypto investments collapsed so he lost all communication with his family members and victims. Both his missing status prompted his family to submit a report to authorities and investors commenced legal proceedings. AFU personnel from NPA used preservation orders to protect Manci’s bank accounts resulting in the recovery of R4.5 million.
Manci received a prison term of 15 years from the courts which included five years of suspended punishment after his voluntary surrender.
