The suspects were arrested on Tuesday in Johannesburg. (Image source: SAPS) A group of suspected international online scammers was apprehended yesterday by a multi-agency global law-enforcement task team led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) in Bryanston, Johannesburg. The arrests come amid warnings from local cyber security experts of a rise in…
Cambodia says it has extradited to China a billionaire businessman accused of masterminding a vast cryptocurrency scam in which trafficked workers were lured to forced labour camps to defraud victims globally. Chen Zhi was among three Chinese nationals arrested on 6 January after a joint investigation into transnational crime lasting several months, Cambodia said. The…
Legitimate e-mails are being hacked. (Image source: 123RF, created via GenAI) The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has issued another alert warning about phishing e-mails falsely claiming recipients have been summoned to appear in court over tax issues. ITWeb has received two such e-mails purporting to be court notices – both from legitimate companies –…
Elon Musk’s SpaceX says it has cut Starlink satellite communication links to more than 2,500 devices used by scam compounds in Myanmar. More than 30 compounds are believed to be operating along the Thai-Myanmar border, where people from around the world are trafficked and forced to work on scams generating tens of billions of dollars…
Young people should exercise extreme caution when engaging with unsolicited online offers for international employment. A well-known social media influencer is under fire for promoting the two-year-long “Alabuga Start” programme promising lucrative job opportunities in Russia. Other influencers also joined in promoting Alabuga Start, which they described as an international programme designed for young women…
Scam alert: No, you can’t ‘earn money watching videos’ on platform called PesaTube IN SHORT: Claims that a company called PesaTube is paying social media users to watch videos daily are false, and similar to a previous scam Africa Check debunked. According to a message sent to Africa Check on WhatsApp, users can “earn money…
The fraudsters used the name of a genuine US-registered company to create an illusion of credibility. A number of South Africans have been left devastated after falling victim to an online Ponzi scheme known as Medical Digital Intelligence (MDI). Promising high returns through supposed investments in virtual pharmaceutical products, the scam has swindled citizens out…
