Money makes the world go round. This saying is a universal statement that rings true for everyone. In fact, it seems the world, particularly South Africa, which is dealing with the triple challenges of high levels of unemployment, poverty, and inequality, is spinning out of control trying to get rich or just get by. Apart from getting a job, starting a business, or being an influencer, investing is one of the common vehicles many people use to make more money. Investment, defined by Investopedia, which is a source of financial information on the Internet, is a process of acquiring an asset to generate income or appreciation. And appreciation, it elaborates, refers to an increase in the value of an asset over time to create wealth. Investment products have mushroomed the world over and with the rise of digitisation, another form of investment called cryptocurrency – a currency that exists digitally or virtually and uses cryptography to secure transactions, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether – has taken the world by storm. The current economic climate, coupled with aspiring to achieve the material success seen on social media, generally makes it hard to survive on one source of income. This often makes investment an attractive, lucrative option for building wealth. However, the issue comes when people want instant results, making them fall into the trap of get-rich-quick schemes that leave them in a worse financial position than before.
Many articles and documentaries have flooded various platforms to spread awareness about the dangers of investment fraud. A recent Netflix film by Bryan Storkel, called Bitconned, documents several people who find themselves caught in
