Kubizwa ngokuthi “i-express kidnapping”. Abagilwa bayathunjwa, bagetshengwe, futhi badedelwe emahoreni ambalwa, izigebengu ziqondise cishe noma ubani ukuze zithole imali esheshayo.

Abathumbi ngokuvamile bafuna isamba semali esisheshayo, ngokuvamile ngokuphoqa abagilwa ukuthi bakhiphe imali kuma-akhawunti abo kuma-ATM noma ukubaphoqa ukuthi bavule izinhlelo zabo zokusebenza zasebhange ukuze badlulisele izimali ngekhompyutha.

“Ukuthumba kuvame ukuphela uma abagilwa bengasakwazi ukukhipha imali. Kodwa akunjalo ngaso sonke isikhathi,” kusho uRichard Hood, oyisikhulu senkampani yomshwalense i-OLEA South Africa.

“Wonke umuntu ungumgilwa. Abathumbi bashintsha izimfuno kulokhu abacabanga ukuthi umgilwa angakwazi ukukukhokhela,” esho esihlokweni esikhishwe kuyiBusiness Tech.

Izigameko eziningi zokuthumba eNingizimu Afrika ziwumphumela wokuntshontshwa kwezimoto, ukugetshengwa nokudlwengulwa, kodwa ongoti bobugebengu bathi isibalo esandayo esabagilwa abakhonjwa ngoba nakhu kufuneka okuthize kubona.

“Izigebengu ezingochwepheshe zenza kahle izinto ngobuchule, futhi abagilwa bahlushwa kancane. Kodwa-ke, ozakwabo be-copycat banodlame kakhulu,”kusho uHood.

Lolu hlobo lokuthumba ukuze kufunwe imali lunyukile, njengoba kubikwe amacala angaphezu kuka-15,000 ngo-2022-23. IGauteng iyona enamacala amaningi (7,818), ilandelwa iKwaZulu-Natal ngamacala angu-3,081.

I-Institute for Security Studies ibike ukwanda okungu-260% kokuthunjwa kule minyaka eyishumi edlule, futhi manje sekunesilinganiso esingaba ngu-51 ngosuku.

UJustin Naylor, oyisikhulu senkampani yomshwalense i-iTOO, uthe ukuthumba kuvame ukuhlotshaniswa nobugebengu obuhleliwe obufana nokushushumbiswa kwabantu nezidakamizwa.

“Akusezona izicebi kuphela ezibhekiwe, noma ngubani okwazi ukuthola imali usengozini,” kusho uNaylor.

Izinkampani zomshwalense zisabela ekwandeni kokuthumba ngokunikeza imikhiqizo ekhethekile ukusiza ukulawula ubungozi nezindleko. Kepha uNaylor uxwayise ngokuthi abantu kusafanele bagweme izindawo eziyingozi futhi bathathe izinyathelo zokuphepha, noma ngabe banomshuwalense.

Ngomhlaka-31 ngoNtulikazi, amaphoyisa abophe abathumbi abayisishiyagalombili eGoli, ahlenga usomabhizinisi ashaqa nezidakamizwa zenani lika-R300-million ngemuva kokuba iqembu lezigebengu lifune imali engu-R5 million.

Esithombeni esingenhla: UJustin Naylor, oyisikhulu esiphezulu senkampani yomshwalense i-iTOO, uthe ukuthumba manje sekuyinkinga enkulu eNingizimu Afrika, njengoba kubikwa ukuthunjwa okucishe kube ngu-16,000 minyaka yonke.