Advocate Unearths Deceptive Deep-Fake Scam Endangering South African Investors

In an alarming incident shaking the South African investment community, Advocate Petra van Niekerk of the Johannesburg Bar has come forward to BizNews with startling revelations of a deep-fake scam swindling investors, including herself. The scam, leveraging the manipulated likenesses of renowned billionaires such as Elon Musk, Nicky Oppenheimer, and Johann Rupert, has caused a stir due to the complexity of the fraudulent operation.

The scam involves an online entity promoting an investment scheme called “The Immediate Matrix”. They strategically employed deep-fake technology to craft videos appearing on social media channels, where the impersonated Musk claims the endorsement of South African magnates Oppenheimer and Rupert. This sophisticated deception was designed to lend authenticity to the scam and to dupe investors into believing in its legitimacy.

During her interview with BizNews, Advocate Van Niekerk did not just share her harrowing personal tale of loss, but also peeled back the layers of her investigation into the entity she suspects of orchestrating the con. Van Niekerk has taken a stand to expose these malpractices by calling other victims to band together for a class action lawsuit aimed at shuttering this fraudulent operation.

This scam's reach extended its sinister claws into the financial optimism of numerous South Africans, with the deep-fake video circulating widely and convincing many to part ways with their life savings. Van Niekerk strongly rebuts any associations between the fraudulent scheme and Musk, Rupert, or Oppenheimer, stressing the entire setup is a ruse.

Advocate Van Niekerk's efforts to counteract this scam have included alerting various regulatory bodies and institutions. Reports have been submitted to the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB), the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the SAPS, and the National Consumer Commission. Her objective is twofold: to limit the scam's reach and shield the public from similar entrapments.

Discrepancies arose when Van Niekerk observed the entity's false claims of being registered in the Seychelles, which was debunked by the Financial Services Authority of Seychelles issuing a scam alert. Additionally, the dates of the entity’s alleged authorizations and registrations raised red flags about its warranted operations, particularly in relation to Forex and Crypto investments.

The FSCA has since warned the public regarding the "Immediate Matrix," but has not directly pointed to the entity in question. Van Niekerk, however, remains convinced that this entity is responsible for targeting potential investors through unsolicited contact methods.

Fallen prey to the scam herself, Van Niekerk's encounter with Dr. Rupert emphasized the profound impact this has had on seasoned professionals, underlining the craftiness of the fraudulent scheme. Moreover, she learned of another victim who was misled by the use of a legitimate news outlet's branding, compounding the devious nature of the operation.

In a resolute message to other victims, Advocate Van Niekerk urges those affected not to settle for hush-money but to recognize the voidable nature of contracts signed under false pretenses. She emphasizes the importance of joining forces to prevent further damages inflicted by this contemptible ploy.