Old Mutual is again warning the public about sophisticated investment scams circulating on social media, messaging platforms and email, that impersonate senior executives in efforts to mislead potential victims.
The latest scam falsely uses the company’s name as well as the name of the Old Mutual group chief operating offier, Zureida Ebrahim, to create a misleading sense of credibility.
It is positioned as a proposal for a mutually beneficial opportunity and seems to be driven by a well-coordinated syndicate.
The company advises on how users can protect themselves from fraudsters and identity thieves:
- Check the sender’s email address: Don’t rely solely on the display name. Look closely for subtle misspellings (for example, Oldrnutual instead of OldMutual).
- Unusual language or tone: Be cautious of generic greetings, odd phrasing, or messages that deviate from typical communication style.
- Urgent or unusual requests: Be sceptical of emails demanding immediate action, especially involving financial transactions or sensitive data.
- Suspicious links or attachments: Hover over links to inspect the URL before clicking. Do not open unexpected attachments.
- Do not respond or click: Refrain from replying to, or interacting with, suspicious emails.
- Never share login details such as passwords or banking pins with anyone. Remember Old Mutual will never contact you to ask for your username or password.
- Always use a strong password that contains letters, numbers and symbols and change it regularly.
- Apply multi-factor authentication on all accounts, where possible.