Motorists are advised to be wary of a new scam where criminals are posing as police officers to demand “toll fees” from unsuspecting victims.
This tactic was recently brought to attention by former 702 morning radio host John Robbie, who was confronted by fake police officers while leaving an airport in the Eastern Cape.
Robbie posted on his X account this week about an incident that occurred while exiting from Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
Shortly after leaving the airport’s car hire centre, Robbie and his companions were allegedly approached by a VW Golf that cut them off.
Two men emerged from the Golf wearing suits with radios and badges, and told the occupants that they were required to activate an e-toll transponder at an ATM.
Not only is there no such thing as an e-toll responder that requires an ATM to activate, but e-tolls are exclusive to Gauteng and were, in fact, shut down in April last year.
When the travellers told the supposed police officers that this was an obvious scam, the two men became aggressive and threatened to arrest the occupants.
However, they quickly gave up and left the scene when it became clear that their chosen victims were not buying the ploy.
Robbie believes that the men had observed them at the car hire company before approaching them, likely suspecting that the group were foreign tourists who didn’t know any better.
If you hire a car at Gqeberha airport beware! Soon after we did a VW Golf cut us off and two guys got out in suits with radios & badges, told us they had to activate an e-toll transponder at an ATM. We called out the scam they got aggressive and threatened to arrest me! …1/2
— John Robbie (@John_C_Robbie) February 10, 2025
ACSA responds
Shortly after the post went up, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) responded on X, stating that it is aware of the incident and that it is working closely with the South African Police Services’ (SAPS) Crime Intelligence on the matter.
ACSA stated that the security of its passengers and staff is a top priority and that airport security has been advised to keep an eye out for this criminal activity.
Furthermore, the car hire centre has been instructed to inform customers of the scam, and all travelers are urged to remain vigilant of their surroundings.
Eastern Cape Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse Van Rensburg told IOL that the SAPS had received multiple reports of scams with a similar modus operandi within the province.
“In all the cases, the perpetrators were wearing black suits with a badge around their neck with a picture of a South African flag. They would then inform the driver of the vehicle that they need to pay for using the road,” she said.
The suspects reportedly attempt to lure their victims to an ATM, who are then asked to insert their cards to pay for the road fees. The card is subsequently swallowed by the machine and the criminals disappear.
Foreign tourists are the primary targets of this scam as they are less likely to be aware that no such road tolls exist, and the police are urging airports, hotels, and other tourism-focused enterprises to inform their guests of the issue.
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