Investor duped of US$47 000 in fake drill bits deal
HARARE – A woman who claimed to have won a tender to supply drill bits to a gold mine allegedly conned an investor of US$47 000 in a fraudulent scheme.
Tadiwanashe Machingaidze, the director of Satewave Technologies (Private) Limited, appeared in court last week charged with fraud.
She is accused of lying to Cairns Ryan Michael, the director of Queen of Hearts Restaurant, that she was a co-director of Tech Global (Pvt) Limited, and that she had secured a contract to supply 250 drill bits to Shamva Gold Mine at US$86 000.
She allegedly produced a fake purchase order from the mine and a pro forma invoice from a South African supplier named Kori Engineering.
She persuaded Michael to transfer US$47 000 to the supplier’s account and promised him a share of the profits.
She then showed him screenshots of emails and WhatsApp chats purportedly confirming the payment and delivery of the drill bits.
Michael arranged for the drill bits to be shipped from South Africa to Harare and accompanied Machingaidze to Shamva Gold Mine to deliver them.
However, when they got there, they discovered that the mine’s procurement officers, whom Machingaidze had been communicating with, did not work there.
The mine’s chief stores controller also told them that the drill bits were sub-standard and worth only US$5 each.
Michael then realised that he had been duped and reported the matter to the police, leading to Machingaidze’s arrest.
Investor duped of US$47 000 in fake drill bits deal
