VP warns public against “investment opportunities” scams

Addressing a number of online phishing scams falsely using the names of government officials to prey on unsuspecting Guyanese, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday dissociated the government from these scams, warned persons against recklessly handing over their hard-earned money to scams disguised as “investment opportunities”.
But to persons who do become victims of these scams, Dr. Jagdeo emphasised that the government is not to blame.
“If you’re stupid and you put your money there and they take your money don’t blame the government, it’s a scam that’s going around,” Dr. Jagdeo asserted.
Dr. Jagdeo made the appeal during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Robb Street.
“A lot of scams are going around. It’s phishing generated from abroad. Don’t fall prey to them because they are Ponzi schemes. A lot of them hook you in, urging people to invest. If you’re stupid you’ll lose your money,” the Vice President said.
Phishing is a type of cyber-attack where attackers impersonate legitimate organisations or individuals to deceive people into providing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal details. This is often done through fake emails, websites, or messages that appear to be from a trustworthy source. The goal is to gain unauthorised access to accounts or commit fraud.
With the exponential increase in internet usage, phishing has become increasingly prevalent over the years with cybercriminals using evolving tactics.
Phishing techniques have evolved from simple scams to sophisticated attacks, often involving fake websites and convincing email designs that closely mimic legitimate sources.