Police Expose Fake Mbinga’s US$2 Million Scam: How Notorious Gang Uses Fake Money and Social Media to Fleece Zimbabweans

The High Cost of Deception: Inside the Counterfeit Syndicate Terrorising Gweru

The setting sun over the Athlone suburb of Gweru on 26 April 2026, brought with it more than just the usual evening quiet. At approximately 6:00 PM, a mid-size, seven-seater Ford Everest SUV, bearing the registration number AHH 0950, pulled up outside a local retail shop. To any casual observer, the vehicle and its occupants appeared to be ordinary customers. However, the transaction that followed would trigger an intensive police investigation and highlight a sophisticated criminal network that has been operating across Zimbabwe with increasing audacity.

According to official reports from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Gweru District Community Relations Liaison Office, the occupants of the Ford Everest allegedly defrauded the shopkeeper using counterfeit United States currency. The suspects tendered high-denomination US$100 notes that were later discovered to be forgeries. This incident was not an isolated case of petty fraud but part of a growing trend of “funny money” circulating through the nation’s commercial arteries, often leaving small business owners and informal traders to bear the financial brunt of the deception.

The Gweru District police have since launched an urgent manhunt for the suspects. Authorities have taken the unusual step of releasing the vehicle’s specific details and registration number to the public, urging residents to remain vigilant. The police warned that the group is believed to be moving across the city, potentially targeting multiple businesses in a single evening.

A Pattern of Sophisticated Fraud

While the Gweru incident has recently come to light, it mirrors a series of highly coordinated scams that have plagued other major Zimbabwean cities in recent months. In January 2026, police in Bulawayo issued a similar warning regarding a syndicate operating from a silver Toyota Fortuner. That group employed what investigators call a “cash-swap” scam, a method designed to exploit the split-second distractions of a busy retail environment.

Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, provided a detailed breakdown of how these fraudsters operate. She explained that the suspects typically purchase goods using a genuine US$100 note to establish trust. Once the goods and the correct change have been handed over, the suspects create a moment of confusion or claim they have found smaller denominations to pay instead.

“The suspects are reportedly using a deceptive method of operation whereby they purchase goods using a genuine US$100 note. After receiving the goods and change, they then manipulate the situation to recover the genuine note they initially tendered and replace it with a counterfeit one, thereby defrauding shopkeepers and traders,” Inspector Msebele stated during a press briefing earlier this year.

This level of psychological manipulation ensures that by the time the shopkeeper realizes the note in their till is a fake, the vehicle is already several kilometres away. Inspector Msebele urged business operators to be firm in their transaction protocols: “Always verify the authenticity of US dollar notes and ensure that once a transaction is completed, no further exchanges of the original note are entertained.”

The Multi-Million Dollar Syndicate

The scale of the counterfeit problem in Zimbabwe reached a staggering peak with the arrest of two notorious fraudsters, Agrippa Chivhenge, 42, and Audious Rungano, 32. Originally facing 48 charges, the number of counts against the duo skyrocketed to 101 in January 2026, as more victims came forward. Police investigations revealed a sophisticated operation that had allegedly stolen property and cash worth over US$2 million.

Chivhenge and Rungano did not merely pass bad notes at tuck shops; they reportedly ran a multi-faceted criminal enterprise that targeted farmers, phone vendors, and small businesses found on social media platforms. Their methods included the use of hired vehicles with cloned or fake registration plates to evade detection.

In a particularly devious “money-switching” scheme, the duo would show victims large bundles of cash to prove they had the funds for a major purchase. These bundles were often composed of worthless bond notes or paper, with a single genuine US dollar note placed on top to complete the illusion. When the police finally raided their hideout in Harare, they recovered 543 counterfeit US$100 notes, a haul that underscored the industrial scale of their forgery.

Identifying the Forgeries

The prevalence of these high-quality fakes has forced the ZRP to educate the public on the technical aspects of currency security. For many traders in Gweru and beyond, the US dollar is the primary store of value and the most trusted medium of exchange. A single fake US$100 note can represent a week’s worth of profit for a small-scale entrepreneur, making the ability to spot a forgery a vital survival skill.

Police authorities in Gweru have advised residents and cashiers to look beyond the initial feel of the paper. They have emphasized the importance of checking for standard security features that are difficult for amateur printers to replicate. These include the watermark—a faint image of Benjamin Franklin visible when held to the light—and the embedded security thread that glows pink under ultraviolet light.

Furthermore, the public has been told to pay close attention to the colour-shifting ink on the “100” in the lower right corner of the note. On a genuine bill, the colour should shift from copper to green when the note is tilted. Many of the counterfeits currently in circulation use static metallic paint that fails this simple tilt test.

A Call for Vigilance

The hunt for the Ford Everest in Gweru continues, with police providing direct contact numbers for anyone with information. The ZRP Gweru District Community Relations Liaison Office can be reached at 0773 643 249 or 0712 040 179. They have also encouraged the public to share warnings through community WhatsApp groups and social media to “help prevent further financial losses in the district.”

The challenge for law enforcement is that these syndicates are highly mobile. A vehicle seen in Gweru one evening could be in Kwekwe or Bulawayo by the next morning. This mobility, combined with the use of fake number plates, makes the task of tracking them a game of cat and mouse.

For the shopkeepers of Athlone and the wider Gweru community, the message is clear: trust, but verify. The presence of a luxury SUV and a well-dressed customer is no longer a guarantee of a legitimate transaction. As the investigation into the Ford Everest scam widens, the police maintain that public cooperation is the most effective weapon against these fraudsters.

Anyone who spots a mid-size seven-seater SUV with the registration AHH 0950 or is approached by individuals attempting to use suspicious high-denomination currency is urged to report the matter to the nearest police station immediately. In an economy where every dollar counts, the vigilance of the community remains the first line of defence against those who seek to profit through deception.

The investigation remains ongoing, and as the 101 charges against the Chivhenge syndicate demonstrate, the roots of these criminal networks often run much deeper than a single fraudulent transaction. For now, the streets of Gweru remain on high alert, watching for the Ford Everest that turned a quiet Sunday evening into a cautionary tale for the entire nation.