South Africa: No, South African Billionaire Johann Rupert Is Not Giving Out Cash Grants Through Dodgy Link

26 June 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Taryn Khourie

No, South African billionaire Johann Rupert is not giving out cash grants through dodgy link

IN SHORT: According to WhatsApp and Facebook posts, South African business executive Johann Rupert is giving out R4,000 cash grants via a link on social media. But it's a scam.

"Johann Rupert R4,000 Youth Month Celebration Cash Grant for South African Youths," starts a message doing the rounds on WhatsApp and sent to both of our South African lines.

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Johann Rupert is a South African billionaire and chair of the Swiss-based luxury goods company Richemont.

In South Africa, Youth Day is a public holiday celebrated on 16 June every year. June is often referred to as "youth month" in honour of the role played by young people in the fight against apartheid.

The message claims that users can click on the attached link and "answer the following questions" to "instantly receive R4,000" (about US$225).

The same message has also been doing the rounds on Facebook in the country.

Africa Check has debunked several posts offering grants in the name of prominent figures and organisations.

This "cash grant" giveaway in Rupert's name is also a scam. Here's how we know.

Signs of a scam

The first red flag is that the giveaway has been shared on different platforms. Fraudsters often do this to maximise reach.

Then there's the link, which was flagged as a threat by our antivirus software, AVG. Scammers usually lure social media users to websites with false offers to gain advertising revenue.

AVG warned that the link led to a webpage that could "harm your data, computer, or network".

We took the chance and visited the site anyway (not recommended!), where we were asked to provide personal information, such as our name, identity number, phone number and email address. This could be a tactic known as phishing, where scammers collect personal information from users for fraudulent purposes.

If Rupert had been giving away money, it would have made headlines. But we found no reports of this.

Tips to avoid such scams

Oftentimes, scammers post fake grants and giveaways using the likeness of prominent people to lure in social media users. So how do you stay safe online? We have some tips.

  • Think critically: Would this prominent person really be giving money away via dodgy links shared on social media? Probably not.
  • Follow the clues: Does the supposed giveaway link to any affiliated websites of the impersonated person? Does it ask for personal information in exchange for the giveaway? Are there grammar and spelling mistakes? These are some of the more common red flags.
  • End with certainty: If you're still unsure, visit the impersonated person's verified social media pages to verify the legitimacy of a giveaway.

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Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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