The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) warns members of the public to exercise caution when engaging with the administrators of a Telegram group operating under the name “Satrix SA.”
The FSCA received information that the administrators of the Telegram group purports to be associated with authorised financial services providers Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd (FSP No. 43670) and Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd (FSP No. 15658) in order to solicit investments from the public. Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd and Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd confirmed that it is not associated with the administrator or conducts business through Telegram. The FSCA was unable to reach the administrators using the contact details available to it.
The public is strongly urged to exercise caution when considering unsolicited investment or trading offers, especially those communicated through social media. The public is urged to act with care when investing their funds. There are many fraudsters operating scams, and the number is growing. South Africans lose millions of rands every year to fraudsters. Illegal operations are sometimes well-disguised as legitimate operations. The public is advised to be on the lookout for certain tell-tale danger signs when approached by persons offering attractive investment opportunities.
These red flags include:
- Unrealistic or exaggerated returns
- Offers made on social media platforms
- Requirements to pay for services upfront
- Requirements to pay more money to have your investments returned
- Requirements to pay for training
- Claims that you must act and pay urgently i.e. creating a sense of urgency
- Vague information about the investment product.
Members of the public may use one of the following methods to confirm whether a service provider or person is authorised to act as an FSP by the FSCA, including to verify their FSP number:
To confirm whether a person or institution is authorised, contact the FSCA on the toll-free number 0800 110 443 or visit https://www.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm.
Suspicious activities can be reported via the Ethics and Fraud Hotline at 0800 313 626, by email at fsca@behonest.co.za, or online at www.behonest.co.za.