The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) is receiving an increasing number of complaints from members of the public who have fallen victim to scams.

The police force, in a media statement on Thursday, said scammers used various approaches, such as calling individuals claiming to be police officers and requesting that money be transferred through electronic bank transactions in exchange for their relatives’ release from police custody.

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) is warning the public to be on alert as there is an increase in "419 scams", well-known for duping unsuspecting participants of non-existent investment funds into paying a certain amount of money to fraudsters.

The bank’s Director of Strategic Communications, Kazembire Zemburuka, says the bank has noticed an increasing number of scammers seeking unsolicited financial assistance from Namibians to finance the country’s developmental agenda.