There's been a concerning increase recently in the number of scamsters targeting South African consumers. This includes scamsters pretending to be representatives of your bank or your cellphone provider. There are SMS and email scams claiming your...
Cybersecurity researchers are urging consumers to be on the lookout for delivery scams following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and in the lead-up to the holidays. This comes after Mimecast’s threat-hunting team detected malicious emails and...
Ramesh Ramdeen, Head of Fraud at FNB Wealth and Investments and Ashburton Investments outlines some key things to look out for to avoid becoming the victim of fraudsters. Investment and financial fraud is on the rise across the world. Each day...
In this My Money, My Lifestyle podcast we delve into the world of crypto scams which seem to be mushrooming everywhere, despite repeated warnings from our authorities. How do these crypto scams work? How do people get lured into parting with their...
Some of your relatives and loved ones may be getting on in years and may not be as careful with their finances and cards as they were before. Angelique Ruzicka has some suggestions for things you can do to help protect them from scams. Sadly, there...
The WhatsApp stokvel scheme that has been around for a while has now morphed into a “WhatsApp gifting circle”, but it is the same get-rich-quick scam, just under a different label – and just as dangerous and illegal. People are recruited to join a...
Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the anxiety around lockdown. Manie van Schalkwyk, Executive Director of the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) provides some insight into what scams to watch out for. The world is currently a...
According to SABRIC, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, there’s been a sharp rise in cases of cybercriminals exploiting the spread of COVID-19 by using coronavirus-based scams to trick people into clicking on links in emails or SMSs...
New regulatory powers make it easier to investigate financial fraud. The new director of investigations and enforcement at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), Brandon Topham, made it clear in a media briefing recently that he will be...
By Gareth Mountain, Head of Sales at Lending and Innovation Company Olico The current economic situation we’re experiencing in South Africa has created a strong appetite for credit. Often consumers need to borrow money out of desperation just to...
About a year ago I was having coffee with an acquaintance who works in the financial industry. He is knowledgeable and well informed, so I was surprised when he told me about this amazing forex fund that he had invested in which was making him a lot of money. The...
As the returns from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies hit stratospheric levels, Bitcoin scamsters have crawled out of the woodwork to take advantage, as the lure of big profits makes people less cautious and more willing to hand over their money without doing their...
*This content is brought to you by Sanlam iTrade. Share investor Peter Imrie shares his story of being nearly ‘conned’ by a company selling trading software. In many cases the only ones who make money out of these computer-based trading programs are the sellers, not...
Daichi Hoang is the webmaster of Best Forex Brokers based in Sydney, Australia. He provides the following advice to help traders avoid risky forex scams and understand the true merits of forex trading. If you are one of the many people in South Africa attracted by the...
Our need to believe in miracles and magic makes us susceptible to tricksters. Listen to Maya discussing this topic on Classic FM with Tamara LePine Williams I was recently watching the Carbonaro Effect, a TV show where a magician plays practical tricks on the public....
Des wrote to City Press after being defrauded by forex trading company Profit Trading, a business that claimed to invest clients’ money into an automated forex trading system. “I am one of those investors who had taken every little cent I had and invested it with him....
As access to banking services through digital channels continues to grow, so does the need to protect consumers against the prevalence of online banking fraud. Yolande Steyn, Head of Innovation at FNB says, “We view security as an integral part of a seamless online...
Almost every week we receive emails from people who have been caught out in a scam. There are so many rogues out there using charm and manipulation on desperate people looking for better returns. Tammy is one such victim and she kindly, and bravely, shared her story...
There is a big difference between knowingly investing in a high-risk technology business and being sold misinformation. I recently wrote about a group of companies: AllQuotes, BuyDirect and MiBiz, which fall under a parent company called FinGroup. I wrote about...
Insiders raise the alarm over the business practices of AllQuotes and BuyDirect. When one receives anonymous tip-offs about unethical business practices, there is always the concern that the information is accurate and not just a disgruntled employee taking a dig. So...