Another day, another brazen scam in South Africa’s ever-evolving online fraud ecosystem. This time, the scammers are masquerading as none other than AstraZeneca, the globally recognised British pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.

Of course, the legitimate AstraZeneca operates through astrazeneca.com, while the scam in question uses the near-indistinguishable domain astraszenecaglobal.xyz — a deliberate and calculated attempt to deceive.

This isn’t the first time scammers have borrowed credibility from a trusted brand, but this iteration is particularly audacious. From its colour scheme and name to the general layout and tone, the scam tries to give the impression that it is somehow affiliated with the legitimate AstraZeneca.

In truth, it is not a pharmaceutical platform, not an investment platform, and certainly not a business — it is a complete scam, exploiting brand familiarity to prey on unsuspecting South Africans.

As with most online investment scams operating in the country today, there is no actual product. The platform claims to offer profit-sharing opportunities from non-existent goods — ranging from discounted medication to vague “medical projects” and machinery. In reality, none of it exists.

What does exist is a predictable Ponzi-style pitch:

These numbers are not just unbelievable; they’re insulting to the intelligence of even a marginally alert adult. The attached marketing material (see images above) throws around claims of “daily income” and “total revenue” like candy, with discount promotions and limited-time offers layered on top to manufacture urgency. It’s theatre — colourful graphics, discount badges, and fake product listings — designed to rush people into depositing money.

This is not investment. It’s not commerce. It’s theft by persuasion.

According to WHOIS records, astraszenecaglobal.xyz was registered on 28 September 2024, using Dynadot as registrar. That in itself raised flags — Dynadot is a registrar that, while legitimate, has been used by multiple scam operators over time, mostly due to its lenient registration policies and lax enforcement when abuse complaints are submitted.

Following the domain’s registration, scam activity began picking up in mid-October 2024, accelerating rapidly into December, as scammers anticipated the year-end desperation of many. After a brief lull in January 2025, the scheme picked up again by February, eventually reaching peak interest in May 2025.

And here’s where the pattern turns ominous.

Like other scams before it, the AstraZeneca scam has followed a three-peak pattern. In South Africa, this pattern is telling. A scam that lasts longer than a month typically has three phases of viral growth, each fuelled by a combination of payouts, referral drives, and trust-building.

But once the third peak is reached, withdrawal issues begin, and users who attempt to cash out are either ignored or met with excuses. That’s the point we are at now — the final chapter.

At this point, the scam has entered what seasoned observers know as the collapse stage.

And then there’s the tell-tale sign: new user activity with no corresponding proof of withdrawal success. This is the hallmark of a scam about to disappear.

To set the record straight — AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals is indeed a legitimate, long-established company. They have been present in South Africa since 1992, and their registered name appears correctly on the CIPC database.

Their website is astrazeneca.com, and their operations include the manufacture and supply of real, regulated medical products found in clinics and pharmacies across the country.

There is absolutely no affiliation between AstraZeneca and astraszenecaglobal.xyz. The latter is an unauthorised clone, using the name and visual branding of AstraZeneca to con people out of their money.

Moreover, since the scam is soliciting deposits, managing investor funds, and promising returns, it constitutes a financial service — and for that, registration with the FSCA is required. A check on the FSCA database confirms what was expected: this scam is not registered as a Financial Services Provider, and has no legal standing to conduct such activities.

Scammers always try to control the narrative when a scam begins to unravel. Screenshots from Telegram groups show scammers behind the astraszenecaglobal.xyz scam blaming compliance delays and technical glitches for why people aren’t being paid. But these aren’t minor teething issues or admin backlogs. This is the deliberate withholding of funds, right before a final exit.

Even before the “withdrawal problems” started, the scam had arbitrary withdrawal rules in place:

All of it designed to control flow and delay panic.

The messaging is coordinated. The scripts used in chat groups are eerily similar to other scams we’ve exposed in the past — designed to pacify users just long enough for the scammers to cut off access completely.

Astrazenecaglobal.xyz is not a pharmaceutical platform. It is not affiliated with AstraZeneca. It is not a business opportunity.

It is a scam — plain and simple — one built on the backs of South Africans desperate to grow their money, using psychological triggers like fake products, fake income, and fake associations with reputable brands. There are no returns. There are no medicines. And there will be no payout.

If you’ve fallen victim to this scam, know that you are not alone. But also know that your money is gone — and no withdrawal promise or group admin explanation will bring it back. Learn the signs. Stay away. And next time something seems too easy, too guaranteed, too good to be true — let that be your red flag.