Criminal syndicates are continuing use the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) - formerly known as CIPRO - to defraud individuals and companies. The CIPC has introduced controls which seem to have minimised company hijackings for the time being. However, the "cloning" of individuals through the CIPC continues unabated and the cloning of companies remains a problem.
A Politicsweb investigation was able to uncover eighty-two examples of suspiciously named companies and CCs established over the past two and a half years (see list below). Most, if not all of these, were set up with the intention of defrauding the named individuals and companies. Among the recent targets are Jacques Schindehutte, Telkom's Chief Financial Officer, and Tiger Brands.
The individuals and companies affected - who are completely innocent parties - are usually unaware that companies or CCs have been registered which seek to replicate their names.
Individual cloning fraud usually works as follows, to give a hypothetical example: A patient makes out a cheque to Dr Nigel Dieb and sends it through the post. The criminal syndicate intercepts the cheque at the post office and then registers a company called "Dr Nigel Dieb Trading" or simply "Dr Nigel Dieb". The director of the new company then opens a bank account in the name of the company, deposits the cheque and, once it has cleared, withdraws the money.
As with company cloning and company hijacking the objective is to set up a bank account with the same name as the individual or institution being targeted or a similar one. Unlike with company cloning the name of the new company or CC set up to clone an individual will (not necessarily) clash with one already in the system.
The ability of criminal syndicates to register numerous companies and CCs in the names of individuals - over the past two years - points to a lack of a proactive anti-fraud capacity at the CIPC.
These frauds should not be difficult to pick up. Companies which are set up in a person's name, but where the sole director is someone else, should be immediately red flagged. For instance the company "Jacques Schindehutte Investment" was registered on February 17 2012 with its sole director listed as one "Thembani Moyo". Moyo is also listed as a director of a company named "Mr P Arnott-Job".
The list below suggests that criminal syndicates are learning how to work around controls on company cloning. "AJoishual Dooras Construction" is an obvious attempt to set up a company with a similar, albeit not identical, name to the furniture company Joshua Doore.
The director of this company is one "Itumeleng William Tladi" who also happens to be the sole director of "Tiger Brands Installations" registered on February 2 2012. The latter is an interesting case as the name contains a direct copy of "Tiger Brands" an existing company and registered trademark.
A large number of the individuals on the list below are either doctors or senior local employees of foreign companies. A number of law firms have also been targeted.
The CIPC had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
|
|
COMPANY/CC NAME |
NUMBER |
TARGET |
|
1 |
MR P ARNOTT-JOB |
K2012/031191/07 |
Individual |
|
2 |
EUGENE SCOTT TRADING |
K2012/013520/07 |
Individual |
|
3 |
MR D FIELDEN TRADING |
K2012/013528/07 |
Individual |
|
4 |
JOHN TREAT TRADING |
K2012/018308/07 |
Individual |
|
5 |
JANET ROSS INVESTMENT |
K2012/014182/07 |
Individual |
|
6 |
MR WARWICK MORLEY -JEPSON TRADING |
K2012/009680/07 |
Individual |
|
7 |
MRS VENKETRAJU TRADING |
K2012/000579/07 |
Individual |
|
8 |
MR STEVEN TZONEV |
K2012/012692/07 |
Individual |
|
9 |
D M K I |
K2012/031623/07 |
DM Kisch |
|
10 |
ANDREW CHARLES EVANS |
K2012/025899/07 |
Individual |
|
11 |
BIRD LIFES SOUTH AFRICAN TRADING |
K2012/013524/07 |
Bird Life South Africa |
|
12 |
K E SMITH |
K2012/027153/07 |
Individual |
|
13 |
JACQUES SCHINDEHUTTE INVESTMENT |
2012/031013/07 |
Individual |
|
14 |
JOAN WOLPE |
2012/053542/07 |
Individual |
|
15 |
TIGER BRANDS INSTALLATIONS |
K2012/018676/07 |
Tiger Brands |
|
16 |
AJOISHUAL DOORAS CONSTRUCTION |
K2012/018674/07 |
Joshua Doores |
|
17 |
MR T PARBHOO |
2012/053546/07 |
Individual |
|
18 |
JOHANNES NIEKERK TRADING |
2011/064491/23 |
Individual |
|
19 |
BHANA M S |
K2012/021265/07 |
Individual |
|
20 |
SAMUELE CLEMINSONER PROPERTIES |
2011/064629/23 |
Individual |
|
21 |
DRS HAAGENSEN LURIE TRADING |
2011/064495/23 |
Individual |
|
22 |
WAYNE DRIER TRADING |
2011/064465/23 |
Individual |
|
23 |
MISS C DE VILLIERS TRADING |
2011/041722/23 |
Individual |
|
24 |
MRS G WAKEMAN TRADING |
2011/041716/23 |
Individual |
|
25 |
JAMES MCMULLAN TRADING |
2011/032050/23 |
Individual |
|
26 |
MR HUGO JUAN HOLL INVESTMENTS |
2011/032048/23 |
Individual |
|
27 |
MR T WRIGHT TRADING |
2011/029947/23 |
Individual |
|
28 |
L B GARDENS PVT HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT INSTALLATIONS |
2011/005040/23 |
Life Bedford Gardens Hospital |
|
29 |
L B G H INSTALLATIONS |
2011/017664/23 |
Life Bedford Gardens Hospital? |
|
30 |
BOW GILFI INVESTMENTS |
2011/044249/23 |
Bowman Gilfillan |
|
31 |
MR J NIE INVESTMENTS |
2011/029949/23 |
Individual |
|
32 |
ELZETTE VENTER TRADING |
2011/028644/23 |
Individual |
|
33 |
MR G DAVIS TRADING |
2011/028643/23 |
Individual |
|
34 |
MARK DEIST INVESTMENT |
2010/060535/23 |
Individual |
|
35 |
ANTHONY PEEPALL INVESTMENTS |
2010/060536/23 |
Individual |
|
36 |
NEAL SUNDSTROM TRADING |
2011/021990/23 |
Individual |
|
37 |
E N SONNENBERGS TRADING |
2011/021987/23 |
Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs |
|
38 |
MR JEREMY R ROBERTON FOX INVESTMENTS |
2011/022444/23 |
Individual |
|
39 |
SAMUEL CLEMINSON TRADING |
2011/024832/23 |
Individual |
|
40 |
AEROXS TRADING |
2011/009210/23 |
AFROX? |
|
41 |
NATASHA BENNETT INVESTMENTS |
2011/009209/23 |
Individual |
|
42 |
VANGERUNDERBEEK MARIA INVESTMENTS |
2011/009153/23 |
Individual |
|
43 |
TIMOTHY JOHNSON TRADING |
2011/005044/23 |
Individual |
|
44 |
RICHARD PHILIP MALLABONE TRADING |
2011/005037/23 |
Individual |
|
45 |
J O OPOLOT HERBALIST |
2011/005041/23 |
Individual |
|
46 |
LIU JIEXUN TRADING |
2011/044211/23 |
Individual |
|
47 |
PHAMOTSE LETELE TRADING |
2011/044247/23 |
Individual |
|
48 |
ROSEMARY A DEAN TRADING |
2011/005034/23 |
Individual |
|
49 |
THE HERBALIST MEDFEM CLINIC |
2011/005048/23 |
Medfem Clinic? |
|
50 |
STELIO FRASCO TRADING |
2011/005843/23 |
Individual |
|
51 |
HOLEMANS DIANE FLAT 29 MAINTENANCE |
2011/009211/23 |
Individual |
|
52 |
AFRAX HOME CARE |
2011/057379/23 |
AFROX? |
|
53 |
ROSEMARY KEBITSANG TRADING |
2011/068579/23 |
Individual |
|
54 |
R MARTIN TRADING AND PROJECTS |
2010/113065/23 |
Individual |
|
55 |
Individual |
||
|
56 |
M KUENAST INVESTMENT AND PROJECTS |
2010/118679/23 |
Individual |
|
57 |
Individual |
||
|
58 |
SILVIA VALERI TRADING |
2010/101425/23 |
Individual |
|
59 |
MRS ELIZABETH ANDERSON ELLIS INVESTMENT |
2010/101424/23 |
Individual |
|
60 |
STEPHEN PETERSEN TRADING |
2010/101433/23 |
Individual |
|
61 |
CHIAIE GABRIELLA TRADING |
2010/101426/23 |
Individual |
|
62 |
MR LORNE RUPERT INVESTMENT |
2010/086627/23 |
Individual |
|
63 |
NESBITT KENNETH INVESTMENT |
2010/112385/23 |
Individual |
|
64 |
DUNCAN PERUCH TRADING |
2010/112386/23 |
Individual |
|
65 |
MR JBR WENTZEL INVESTMENT AND PROJECTS |
2010/083906/23 |
Individual |
|
66 |
MR JACKA LINK SAUNDERS TRADING |
2010/083909/23 |
Individual |
|
67 |
PAUL BRUMMER TRADING |
2010/078898/23 |
Individual |
|
68 |
JAKOBSEN SVEND-ERIK INVESTMENT |
2010/078896/23 |
Individual |
|
69 |
JO-ANN RICHARDS HERBALIST |
2010/101177/23 |
Individual |
|
70 |
MRS B ATHENELLIS INVESTMENT |
2010/060538/23 |
Individual |
|
71 |
S DAWN HANSEN INVESTMENTS |
2010/039874/23 |
Individual |
|
72 |
RODWELL ZVARAYI CONSTRUCTION |
2010/039875/23 |
Individual |
|
73 |
PG BREEDT TRADING ENTERPRISE |
2010/039205/23 |
Individual |
|
74 |
JULIEN RECHARD TRADING AND PROJECTS |
2010/037304/23 |
Individual |
|
75 |
SUPIAN BIN MD NOR INVESTMENT |
2010/035739/23 |
Individual |
|
76 |
MR J L SAUNDERS TRADING |
2010/035738/23 |
Individual |
|
77 |
IAN HOOPER TRADING |
2010/034321/23 |
Individual |
|
78 |
MRS S DESTOMBES INVESTMENT |
2010/034291/23 |
Individual |
|
79 |
MARIANNE KUEHNAST INVESTMENT |
2010/028679/23 |
Individual |
|
80 |
MUHAMMAD Z BUTT TRADING |
2010/018036/23 |
Individual |
|
81 |
QUAADREM TRADING |
2010/101178/23 |
Quadrem |
|
82 |
JULIAN BENJAMIN ROBIN WENTZEL INVESTMENTS |
2009/099821/23 |
Individual |
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