Company Director Duped of Rs 123.5 Million in International Fraud Scheme

A 55-year-old director of a company based in Ébène has reported an alleged scam worth Rs 123.5 million to the Rose-Hill police.

Assisted by lawyer Me Karvi Arian, the plaintiff explained that her company’s parent, incorporated in China, operates a subsidiary in Mauritius. The subsidiary specializes in Television Broadcasting System and acquires broadcasting rights for programs in various countries, including football matches for the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

According to the director, the subsidiary was supposed to make payments to CAF based on a contractual agreement.

However, scammers impersonating CAF representatives deceived them, claiming that CAF’s bank account numbers had changed and payments should be made to different accounts.

Consequently, 13 money transfers totaling $2,745,000 (approx. Rs123.5million) were made from the subsidiary’s bank account in Mauritius to accounts in Portugal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The director maintains that she followed instructions from the parent company in China, received through a colleague director via email. Only recently did they discover the deception. Although she hasn’t received a formal report from China, she preemptively lodged a fraud complaint with the police in Mauritius.

The case is to be investigated by the Central CID, but its international nature makes it complex.

The scammers were in contact with the parent company in China, not Mauritius, raising the likelihood of involving Interpol Mauritius for collaboration in the investigation.

Source: Le Mauricien