Monday 23 March 2026
Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC News
HARARE – The Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) has issued a stark warning to the public, particularly minors, regarding a surge in fraudulent activities where scammers impersonate federation officials to extort money from unsuspecting victims.
The alert comes following a reported exchange in which a fraudster, posing as ZCF Executive Director Tapiwa Gora, contacted a potential recruit under the guise of selecting players for the national team.
In a statement released to Zim GBC News, the legitimate Executive Director, Mr. Tapiwa Gora, emphasized that the federation is aware of the growing trend of impersonation and urged the public to exercise extreme caution.
“Impersonation to trick people out of their hard earned money is now a growing problem in our country,” Mr. Gora warned.
He outlined strict protocols for verifying the identity of anyone claiming to represent the federation. To avoid falling victim, Mr. Gora advised the public to check the account name on EcoCash for Econet numbers before any engagement.
“If they request money, DO NOT PAY ANY MONEY INTO A PERSONAL ACCOUNT,” he stated firmly.
Mr. Gora specifically addressed the vulnerability of young players.
“All those under 18 (minors) please refer anyone who contacts you for any opportunities to your parents or guardians to avoid predators who take advantage of your innocence.”
According to the ZCF, all legitimate officials will contact individuals using verified Econet numbers with verifiable account names or the federation’s official office number.
The warning was precipitated by a suspicious interaction where a scammer using an Econet number +263781***532 initiated a conversation, stating,
“We heard that you are a good chess player so we are recruiting people to stand in our national team.”
When the recipient asked for clarity on which national team, the scammer replied, “Zimbabwe national team.” Upon the recipient asking, “Who am I talking to?” the fraudster falsely claimed, “You are talking to Tapiwa Gora.”
The ZCF urges anyone who has been targeted by such scams to report the incident to the police immediately.
Zim GBC News called the number several times and it was not answered.
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