Law catches up to Smith and wife 23 years after his insurance fraud

By Pete Kent 

A 67-year-old man, Robbie Smith faked his death in 1999, and in the same year he resurrected himself under the name Chris Boshoff. 

But the law has finally caught up with him – 23 years after he committed the fraudulent act. 

Smith, or rather Boshoff, was nabbed in Knysna  after spending 23 years in hiding. 

With the help of his wife, Alice Boshoff, he allegedly scammed Old Mutual the sum of R1.7 million by pretending that he had died in a car crash.

Smith and his wife Alice Boshoff, 59, committed the crime in Benoni, Gauteng and later fled to Knysna in the Western Cape. 

This is where Smith assumed his new name Chris Boshoff. The two are facing insurance fraud charges. 

They appeared in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and their case was transferred to the Benoni Magistrate’s Court where the alleged crime was committed.

According to the Hawks spokesperson, Captain Lloyd  Ramovha, Robbie Smith assumed the identity of his late father-in-law, Chris Boshoff, who died many years ago.

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Ramovha further went on to say that while in hiding, the fugitive couple opened an auto repairs business.

It was in 2020 when Old Mutual was tipped off that Smith was alive and living an inconspicuous life in Knysna.

Following an internal probe, a docket of fraud was registered in October 2020, and assigned to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crimes Unit for investigation. 

“The team tirelessly traced the couple to a hideout in Knysna leading to their arrest on Tuesday, 08 November 2022.” said Ramovha.