Image for illustration purposes only.
A 34-year-old petrol attendant has been arrested after allegedly siphoning close to half a million rand from unsuspecting motorists through fuel card cloning.
Hawks Middelburg-based Serious Commercial Crime investigators responded to a complaint from two bank card investigators and a local Truckstop Inn fuel station, following reports of suspicious fuel card transactions. It is alleged that the suspect cloned fuel cards while assisting motorists who paid using petrol cards.
Investigations by the financial institutions revealed that affected cardholders suffered an estimated loss of R469 000. Acting on the information, the Hawks conducted an operation at the fuel station on Friday, 12 December 2025, where the identified petrol attendant was searched and found in possession of a card-cloning device. He was immediately arrested.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Balfour Magistrate's Court on Monday, 15 December 2025. The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, praised the cooperation between private financial institutions, the fuel station, and law enforcement, noting that investigations are ongoing and further arrests may follow.