Old Mutual is again warning the public about highly sophisticated investment scams circulating on social media, messaging platforms and email, impersonating Old Mutual Group’s 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 COO, 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.

Old Mutual recommends the following to protect yourself from fraudsters and identity thieves:

·                Check the sender’s email address: Don’t rely solely on the display name. Look closely for subtle misspellings (e.g. 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.

If you encounter any suspicious messages, please alert Old Mutual via email at CyberFraudWatch@oldmutual.com .

The financial services group states it takes the protection of all customer information seriously as it continually reviews and strengthens its security controls. Vigilance and awareness are key in the fight against this form of crime.