[Image: Flickr]
The Hawks just clipped the wings of an alleged fraudster in the murky world of the so-called “coltan” scam. After months of digging, their 419 Task Team swooped in and arrested 42-year-old Georgie Maureen Da Lanca—alias “Lisa”—on Monday, marking a serious breakthrough in their war on organised crime.
Da Lanca made her debut in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court at Palm Ridge on Wednesday, but the show’s been postponed to 19 March 2025 for a formal bail application, The Citizen reports.
Coltan—short for columbium and tantalum—is a rare mineral mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. It’s a hot commodity, crucial for making smartphones and high-end electronics. And where there’s money, there’s always a scam.
Da Lanca allegedly played a key role in a syndicate that tricked victims into coughing up big bucks for fraudulent coltan deals. One victim, swindled out of R250,000, was duped into thinking they were paying for a cross-border certificate and a “code activation.” Spoiler: the only thing activated was their realisation that they’d been conned.
That cash—initially deposited into an FNB account—didn’t stay put for long. It was quickly funneled into three separate accounts, one of which allegedly belonged to Da Lanca.
The Hawks’ investigation dates back to November 2022, when a case was opened at the Sandton police station. The first domino to fall was Tony Bradley—Da Lanca’s alleged co-conspirator—who was arrested on 18 November 2022 and bailed out for a mere R5,000 a month later.
But the plot thickens. Investigators say this is just the tip of the iceberg, with three more suspects still in the Hawks’ crosshairs.
Spokesperson Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela said the 419 Task Team is laser-focused on dismantling sophisticated fraud syndicates that have been bleeding South Africans dry.
“This arrest demonstrates the Directorate’s unwavering resolve to combat organised crime and ensure justice for the victims of such schemes,” said Mavimbela.
IRS Forensic Investigations, an independent crime investigation firm, called Da Lanca’s arrest a “major breakthrough” in the fight against transnational fraudsters.
Back in January 2021, the company sounded the alarm on the growing coltan scam, warning that syndicates—especially in Bruma and Bedfordview—were luring victims into bogus investments.
The scam works like this: A supposed “third party” (actually part of the syndicate) convinces victims that they’re getting a legit deal on coltan, with promises of huge resale profits in places like Dubai. Before long, victims are asked to fork out even more cash for “specialised packaging” and “transport.”
If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is—same playbook, different props. The coltan scam is just another iteration of classic cons like fake diamond sales and the infamous black dollar scam.
IRS summed it up bluntly: “Coltan is a strictly controlled commodity, traded on a specific market. There’s no way someone is just going to randomly offer you a seat at the table. If they do, it’s a scam.”
Consider this a public service announcement: if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
[Source: The Citizen]
