Mavis Elias, executive assistant to the former first lady, said that “the people most susceptible to this type of activity are those who are affected by their vision”.
He said his office was inundated with messages from people who had been defrauded — in some cases involving large sums of money.
“At this point, it’s just a concern. [over] In fact, it has gotten worse over the past few months.
“It’s worrying because it means the more accounts are being created and the more people are falling victim, the more people are losing their hard-earned money,” Ms Elias said.
According to Craig Pedersen, a cybersecurity expert at South African company TCGForensics, these types of scams have become a widespread threat in Africa and… internationally.
He told the BBC that while several reports had suggested the scams were being run from South Africa, they now appeared to be “global”.
Mrs Gangos is not the only high-profile person whose image and voice have been manipulated.
In South Africa, well-known figures such as wealthy businessmen Johan Rupert and Petrus Motsepe, as well as President Cyril Ramaphosa, have been caught up in similar schemes to cheat people out of their money.
“Scammers often use celebrities in their scams to lull their victims into a false sense of confidence and encourage the victim not to ask too many questions,” Mr Pedersen said.
Dr Thembakile Olivia Mayes, an expert in the field at Wits University in South Africa, echoed that she had seen a number of videos online using a celebrity’s likeness.
People are urged to “be extra cautious in investing” and check any suspicious communications they receive – especially from well-known figures.
“Ultimately the consumer needs to be more confident about celebrity endorsements – especially when it comes to investing,” Mr Pedersen said.
