Dear Reader
Today we are writing to alert you to a dangerous scam circulating on social media and via fake websites that is impersonating Daily Maverick and our journalists.
What’s happening: Fraudsters are using Daily Maverick’s branding, logo, and content to promote “WealthHub,” a fake AI-powered investment platform. These scams falsely claim that Daily Maverick has endorsed this scheme and use well known journalists’ names (including Karyn Maughan and our own Stephen Grootes) without authorisation.
What you need to know:
- Daily Maverick will NEVER ask you for money or ask you to invest in any financial scheme
- Daily Maverick will NEVER encourage readers to deposit funds into any platform
- These fake sites are NOT Daily Maverick, even if they look similar
What to Do:
- Always check the URL – If it claims to be Daily Maverick, verify that you see dailymaverick.co.za in your browser’s address bar. If the domain is different (like ptergyaemb.com or backgrayl.com), it’s a fake
- Never deposit money based on promises from unknown platforms, regardless of who appears to endorse them
- Report it – If you see this scam, report the fake page to the platform it’s on (Facebook, etc.)
- Tell others – Share this warning with friends and family
If you’ve already been affected: If you’ve lost money to this scam, report it to:
- Your bank or financial institution immediately
- The South African Police Service (SAPS)
- The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)
We take fraud and impersonation seriously. Daily Maverick’s journalism is independent and investigative — we don’t promote investment schemes.
Stay safe and stay sceptical.
Best regards,
The Daily Maverick Team