The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has issued a public warning urging caution when dealing with the administrators of a Telegram group called “LeaderFatima_Vawda,” which falsely claims to be affiliated with authorised financial services provider 27Four Investment Managers (Pty) Ltd (FSP 31045) and its Managing Director, Ms Fatima Vawda. The FSCA says the group has solicited funds from members of the public in South Africa, promising unrealistic investment returns. 27Four Investment Managers and Ms Vawda have confirmed they are not affiliated with the Telegram group and do not conduct business via Telegram. The FSCA notes the group administrators are not authorised under financial sector legislation to provide financial services and have not responded to FSCA enquiries. The regulator advises the public to treat social media and unsolicited investment or trading offers with caution and to verify authorisation status, confirm that a representative’s identity details match FSCA records, check the category of advice a person is registered to provide, and ensure any FSP number used matches the name on the FSCA register.