Meet ADNOC Investment: A Scam Platform Pretending to Be a UAE Oil Giant

Scammers are getting bolder, but not any more creative. The latest scam targeting South Africans is ADNOC Investment, operating from the domain adnocfund.com.

This fraud, registered just days ago on 6 February 2025, is attempting to impersonate the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)—a legitimate multinational oil giant.

But this isn’t ADNOC. Not even close.

The real ADNOC is legally registered in South Africa through CIPC, while this scam operates from an unverified Denver, Colorado address, likely as fictitious as its so-called investment model.

But as with all these scams, a closer look at the details exposes just how absurd the pitch is.

If this all sounds familiar, it should. We’ve seen it before, and we’ve covered it before:

• The Stagwell TV scam, which tried to pass itself off as the US-based Stagwell Group.
• The Trouva scam, which borrowed the name of the UK online shopping platform.
• The Centamin scam, which used the name of the real mining company, Centamin PLC (now owned by AngloGold Ashanti).

Each one followed the same playbook: steal the branding of a well-known company, slap together a fake investment opportunity, dangle massive returns in front of desperate South Africans, rake in deposits, and disappear.

And now, ADNOC Investment is doing the same thing—but with an oil and gas spin.

The Absurdity of the Pitch

There are scams that at least attempt a veneer of legitimacy. ADNOC Investment is not one of them.

According to their site, “investors” can purchase and rent out petrol stations and receive daily profits in return.

Pause for a second. Since when have petrol stations been a rentable asset? How would that even work? Who are these mystery tenants paying R1,330 from a R100 investment in just 38 days?

And why is a company that claims to be in petroleum investment pushing cartoonishly high yields on a website that didn’t exist last week?

But the numbers get even more ridiculous.

A R550 investment supposedly returns R7,524 in 38 days. A R15,000 investment supposedly grows into R285,000 in the same timeframe.

If this were real, ADNOC Investment wouldn’t need investors—it would be the wealthiest company on the planet, out-earning actual oil giants.

Instead, it operates from a dodgy website, with zero financial transparency, no licensing, and no registration with the FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority)—a crucial red flag that it is operating illegally.

The Scam Formula: The Same Every Time

ADNOC Investment isn’t just another random scam—it’s part of a bigger trend we’ve seen time and again, where fraudsters follow a copy-paste approach:

1. Hijack the name of a well-known company (in this case, ADNOC).
2. Create an “investment” scheme tied to that industry (petrol station rentals, because oil is a hot industry).
3. Use industry-related images to appear authentic (stock photos of ADNOC-branded stations).
4. Offer insane returns (because greed clouds judgement).
5. Encourage recruitment (turning it into a pyramid scheme).

Then, as always, the scam runs its course:

• Early adopters get small payouts to create the illusion of legitimacy.
• They reinvest more, and encourage others to join.
• The scam collects as much money as possible.
• The withdrawals stop.
• The website vanishes.
• The scammers disappear with the funds.

And yet, despite this cycle playing out time and again, South Africans keep falling for it.

Why Do South Africans Keep Falling for This?

It’s hard to understand how, despite so many warnings, these scams continue to thrive. You’d think that after the collapse of Stagwell TV, Trouva, Centamin, and a dozen other similar operations, people would be more cautious.

But scams prey on hope—and hope can override logic.

When you’re struggling financially, the idea of turning R550 into R7,524 in a month is incredibly tempting. Your rational brain might scream, this is too good to be true, but scammers know how to drown that voice out.

They flash proof of payouts, they push urgency (“limited slots available!”), and they get influencers to promote it—often unknowingly.

And so the cycle repeats.

The Inevitable Collapse of ADNOC Investment

Let’s be absolutely clear: ADNOC Investment will disappear.

It might take weeks or months, but it is guaranteed to collapse, just like every scam before it.

The warning signs are all there:

• Fake company name.
• Unrealistic returns.
• No FSCA registration.
• Recruitment-based earnings.
• Newly registered website.

And when the collapse happens, the usual wave of desperation posts will flood social media:

• “They stopped paying!”
• “I can’t withdraw my money!”
• “Is ADNOC Investment a scam?”

But by then, it will be too late.

The Final Verdict

There’s no debate here: ADNOC Investment is a scam.

It has no ties to the real ADNOC, no legitimate investment model, and no legal standing in South Africa. If you invest, you will lose your money—it’s only a matter of time.

If you’re reading this before investing, consider yourself lucky—you still have the chance to walk away. If you know someone considering it, warn them.

Because once this scam collapses, the money will be gone forever.

And when the next “too good to be true” investment pops up? Remember ADNOC Investment, and don’t make the same mistake twice.

If it sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam. Every single time.