WESTERN CAPE – An alleged bank card scammer Wonder Mgude (35) who has been on the run since 2017 is due to appear in the Bellville Serious Commercial Crime Court today for over hundred counts relating to conspiracy to commit fraud.
Mgude was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in Stikland by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team. He was initially arrested on 02 October 2017 at a Caltex Garage, Airport City outside of Cape Town whilst he was reportedly persuading a motorist to pay him cash in return of using a counterfeit garage card to fill-up the said motorist’s fuel. A petrol attendant raised the alarm after he noticed that the card was in fact fake. This resulted in Mgude being arrested but not before he tried to flee on foot leaving his vehicle that was parked at the fuel station behind.
The resultant search of his vehicle uncovered about 18× counterfeit bank cards, papers containing numerous card numbers, a card reader writer/encoding machine as well as a laptop. He was consequently granted bail by the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court. Whilst he was out on bail he was arrested again at BP Rondebosch Motors on 25 October 2017 for a same modus operandi. Two counterfeit bank cards were found in his possession.
The Wynberg Magistrate’s Court subsequently granted him bail with both cases centralized and transferred to the Serious Commercial Court. The trial date was set for 31 January 2019. Mgude absconded court proceedings resulting in a Warrant for his arrest being issued on 04 March 2019. He has been on the run since until his recent arrest.
Mgude is to face no less than 118 charges relating to conspiracy to commit fraud and forgery to the tune of over R100 000 in contravention of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.
