INVESTMENT SAFETY CHECKS

Verify the opportunity before investing.

Work through these checks before sending money, connecting a wallet, providing personal information or committing to an investment.

Do not let promised returns replace verification.

Investment opportunities can be presented through social media, WhatsApp groups, websites, advertisements, referrals, influencers or people you already know.

A convincing presentation, professional-looking dashboard, screenshot of profits or recommendation from another person does not by itself prove that an investment is legitimate.

What should I never share?
Never provide passwords, OTPs, PINs, recovery phrases, private keys or other secrets that could give someone access to your accounts, money or digital assets.
What if I have already sent money?
Stop sending additional money until the situation has been independently verified. Preserve messages, payment records, account details, wallet addresses, screenshots and other useful evidence. If an account or payment method may be compromised, use the appropriate recovery or emergency pathway.
INVESTMENT VERIFICATION

Check the opportunity before acting.

The more money, personal information or irreversible action involved, the more important independent verification becomes.

Who is behind the opportunity?

Identify the person, company, platform or organisation offering the investment and determine whether that identity can be independently verified.
Why this matters
Scammers may use real company names, copied logos, fake profiles or impersonated investment professionals. A name or professional-looking profile is not proof of legitimacy.

Can the opportunity be independently verified?

Look for reliable information about the company, platform, investment product or person using sources that are independent of the person who introduced the opportunity.
Why this matters
Do not rely only on testimonials, screenshots, social-media posts, private groups or information supplied by the promoter. Independent verification reduces the risk of trusting fabricated evidence.

Are the returns guaranteed?

Be extremely cautious when someone promises guaranteed profits, unusually high returns or little or no risk.
Why this matters
Investment scams often use attractive returns to encourage people to act before properly checking the opportunity. A confident promise does not make an investment genuine.

Are they creating urgency?

Be cautious when you are told that you must invest immediately, a special opportunity will expire soon or you must keep the opportunity secret.
Why this matters
Pressure reduces the time available for independent verification. Legitimate decisions involving significant money should not depend on being rushed.

Where will the money go?

Confirm the exact beneficiary, account, wallet or payment destination before sending money.
Why this matters
An investment opportunity may be genuine while a payment instruction is fraudulent, or the entire opportunity may be designed to move money to an account controlled by a scammer.

Is the payment reversible?

Treat cryptocurrency transfers, unusual payment methods and other difficult-to-reverse transactions with particular caution.
Why this matters
Once money has been sent through an irreversible payment method, recovering it may be difficult or impossible. Verify the recipient and purpose before approving the transaction.

Can you actually withdraw money?

Be careful with platforms that display profits but require additional deposits, taxes, fees or payments before allowing withdrawals.
Why this matters
A fake investment platform can display convincing balances or profits without those balances representing real money. Requests for more money to unlock an alleged balance are a major warning sign.

Are they asking for secrets?

Never provide passwords, OTPs, PINs, recovery phrases, private keys or other authentication secrets to an investment promoter.
Why this matters
Investment activity should not require someone else to obtain the secrets that control your personal accounts, banking access or cryptocurrency wallet.

Is there a real organisation behind it?

Check whether the organisation, platform or investment service actually exists and whether the details presented to you match reliable information.
Why this matters
Scammers can create convincing websites, certificates, company names and documents. Verify important claims independently rather than accepting documents or websites as proof by themselves.

What evidence can actually be verified?

Separate evidence that can be independently confirmed from screenshots, testimonials, claims and information supplied by the promoter.
Why this matters
A useful verification process should distinguish what is known, what has been independently verified and what remains uncertain.
Before you invest, verify these five things.
1. Who receives the money?
Confirm the beneficiary and payment destination independently.
2. What exactly are you buying?
Understand what the investment is, how it supposedly generates returns and what risks are involved.
3. Who operates the platform?
Verify the organisation or service independently rather than relying only on information supplied by the promoter.
4. How do withdrawals work?
Understand the actual withdrawal process and be cautious if you must keep depositing money to access alleged profits.
5. What happens if something goes wrong?
Know what records you have, who you can contact and what recovery or reporting options may be available before committing money.
High returns are not proof.

Attractive profits, urgency, testimonials, screenshots and professional-looking websites can all be used to create confidence before money is requested.

When your money is involved, slow down. Verify independently before you trust.

VERIFY BEFORE YOU TRUST.