Investec Saves the Day After SA Chartered Accountant Loses Over R50k in Scam
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- A chartered accountant, Heiko, shared how he lost a large sum to a sophisticated phone scam that fooled him despite his financial expertise
- Heiko said the caller used the exact name of his real private banker and mimicked every step of a genuine bank fraud check
- He clarified that Investec was able to restore his lost funds, but the CA shared a grave warning that not every bank will do the same
A South African chartered accountant lost R55,000 in minutes after a fraudster posed as his personal banker in a phone call that felt completely legitimate. The man, who goes by @heikoinvests on TikTok, shared the ordeal in August 2026 as a warning to others.
Source: UGC
He explained that his phone rang and the caller ID flagged it as the Investor Card Division, a verified bank name. The woman on the line introduced herself using the same name as his actual private banker at Investec, the real person who manages his accounts.
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She told him a R12,700 transaction had just gone through and asked whether he had authorised it. He said no. She then ran through the same checks a real bank would run, asking whether he had lost his card or any of his devices. He passed every single one. Nothing felt off. To stop the transaction, she told him he simply needed to authenticate on his banking app. He did. That one tap gave her access, and the moment the call ended, the notifications came through: R55,000 gone across multiple transactions.
The TikTokker @heikoinvests contacted Investec's fraud line immediately, opened a police case, and submitted a sworn affidavit. Investec reimbursed every cent, something he acknowledged not every bank does. Watch his full account of the scam below:
South Africans stunned by Investec scam
The video struck a nerve, with commenters sharing their own close calls:
@GG wrote:
"Same thing happened to my colleague who's also a CA in London and banks with Investec. Investec also gave her back the money and later confirmed that Investec's data has been leaked."
@isnotmakesure said:
"I called Standard Bank and they asked me to authenticate over the call but lucky I was the one who called."
@Rox noted:
"The bank calling you is the first red flag."
Maps_Tee admired the bank:
"One thing about Investec, they will reimburse you for fraud 🤞🏼💖!"
Other Briefly News stories about crime
- Viral CCTV footage showed a young woman refusing to surrender her handbag during a street robbery attempt, actively pushing and tackling the suspect back.
- A 52-year-old Klerksdorp woman lost roughly R2 million of her pension payout after falling for a romance scam orchestrated by a suspect claiming to be Emmanuel Jackson Kigezi.
- CCTV footage captured the moment a minibus taxi crew snatched a woman's smartphone in Belhar, Cape Town, before speeding off.
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Source: Briefly News
