Police in Manzini are investigating a case of theft by false pretences after a 46 year old woman from the Nhlambeni area was defrauded of E33,000 through a facata scam.
The incident was reported to the Royal Eswatini Police Service on January 3, 2026. The victim, an educator, told police she received a phone call at about 1430 hours from a man who introduced himself as an officer from the Mbabane Cybercrime Office.
According to information gathered, the caller told the woman that her bank account had been hacked and required her immediate cooperation to secure it. Believing the caller, and without verifying his identity or the authenticity of the claim, she followed the instructions given during the call. 
The suspect allegedly persuaded her to make several electronic transfers of E8,000 each. By the end of the transactions, a total amount of E33,000 had been sent to accounts controlled by the scammer. The woman only realised she had been deceived after receiving bank notifications confirming the transfers.
Police said investigations are continuing as efforts are made to trace the suspect and recover the money.
The Royal Eswatini Police Service has reiterated that officers do not contact members of the public to report hacked bank accounts or demand financial transactions over the phone. Members of the public are urged to hang up immediately if they receive such calls and to verify any suspicious communication through official police or banking channels before taking action.
