In Focus

Stagwell TV South Africa: Withdrawal Issues Mark the Start of Collapse

Stagwell TV South Africa’s (stagwelltv88.com) impending collapse is becoming increasingly evident, with the emergence of withdrawal issues that began on Friday, 10 January 2025.

Users have reported being unable to withdraw their funds, with supposed withdrawals showing as pending since Friday, as the scamming platform blames an “AI Bear” upgrade for the delays.

While the scammers claim this supposed upgrade will be completed by Thursday, 16 January 2025, the platform continues to accept deposits unabated during this time.

Adding to the growing suspicion is the platform’s recent rollout of a supposed “1st anniversary celebration.” This event, designed to encourage further deposits, is yet another tactic often employed by scams in their final stages. However, the celebration is riddled with inconsistencies and clear signs of desperation.

The “AI Bear” Ruse

Since the announcement of the “AI Bear” upgrade—a supposed enhancement promising the introduction of so-called “AI Smart Withdrawals” (a term as vague as it is meaningless, according to the scam’s own WhatsApp groups)—users have inundated social media and WhatsApp groups with complaints about withdrawal requests stuck in a perpetual pending state.

According to Stagwell TV, the upgrade is scheduled for completion on 16 January 2025. However, the vague nature of this explanation and the platform’s continued acceptance of deposits during this period raise serious doubts about its legitimacy.

Also read: Stagwell TV South Africa: A Scam Draped in Legitimacy

Scams like this often deploy similar tactics: promise a resolution tied to a future date to pacify victims while continuing to rake in deposits. It is a strategy as transparent as it is insidious.

The Laughable “1st Anniversary Celebration”

As part of their efforts to encourage deposits during this crisis, Stagwell TV announced a “1st anniversary celebration.” The event promises extravagant benefits, such as double earnings, bonuses, and cash rebates. But, as is often the case with scams, the details don’t add up.

Public records show that Stagwell TV was only registered in October 2024, making the celebration of a one-year anniversary not only premature but entirely fabricated. This timeline inconsistency exposes the event as a desperate attempt to exploit users’ trust and fear of missing out.

Adding to the absurdity is the poor quality of the promotional material for this so-called celebration. The design, with its garish colours and amateurish layout, looks like the work of a high school student experimenting with graphic design for the first time.

No legitimate global enterprise would present itself in such a shoddy manner, further cementing suspicions about the platform’s credibility.

Pushing the Employment Angle to Bypass FSCA Registration

To sidestep the legal requirement of registering as a Financial Services Provider (FSP) with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), Stagwell TV employs yet another ruse—misleadingly framing their operations as “employment.”

By referring to users as “employees” and claiming they are paid to watch stolen movie trailers and complete tasks, the platform attempts to disguise its financial scheme as a legitimate job opportunity.

However, this so-called employment raises serious questions. If all users are indeed “employees,” then:

  • Are they paying taxes? There is no mention of tax compliance, PAYE deductions, or any guidance on income tax filing for these supposed employees.
  • Do they have employment contracts? Legitimate employment in South Africa requires signed contracts outlining the terms of work, but none seem to exist here.
  • Are they contributing to UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund)? Employers in South Africa are legally required to contribute to UIF for employees, but Stagwell TV clearly avoids this responsibility.
  • Is Stagwell TV contributing to the Compensation Fund? This fund ensures workers are covered in the event of workplace injuries, yet there is no evidence the scam complies with such regulations.

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The absence of these fundamental employment practices makes it clear that this is not employment at all—it’s a poorly disguised scam designed to extract deposits under the guise of work opportunities.

The platform further entrenches this narrative by requiring users to pay a “work deposit” to access tasks and earn commissions.

This deposit, ranging from R360 to R3000, is framed as a means to ensure users take their tasks seriously, but in reality, it serves as the gateway to siphon money from unsuspecting victims.

Aggressive Suppression of Criticism

Unlike other scams, Stagwell TV has shown an extraordinary level of aggression in attempting to suppress criticism.

On social media and within their own WhatsApp groups, the operators have consistently shut down critics by deleting comments or removing users who question the platform’s legitimacy, deflected attention with vague assurances about the upgrade rather than addressing glaring issues, and dismissed concerns by ignoring the platform’s most obvious red flags.

This relentless approach to silencing dissent highlights just how desperate the operators are to maintain the facade.

Ignoring the Red Flags

While the “AI Bear” excuse, anniversary ruse, and employment narrative dominate the story, the platform continues to neglect its most obvious shortcomings.

  • The blatant appropriation of Stagwell Global’s name and branding to appear legitimate
  • Stagwell TV’s platform was only recently registered, making its grandiose claims about partnerships and achievements highly suspect
  • The platform is not registered with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), meaning it is not authorised to handle deposits or operate a financial scheme in South Africa
  • The platform promises implausible returns under the guise of boosting the popularity of Hollywood films—claims that lack any verifiable evidence

These issues, combined with the withdrawal problems, paint a clear picture: Stagwell TV is a well-executed scam, preying on trust and desperation.

What Happens Next?

As the supposed 16 January 2025 completion date for the “AI Bear” upgrade approaches, users are advised to remain vigilant.

It is likely that withdrawals will continue to be delayed or denied, excuses will shift to new technical or operational challenges, and the platform may collapse altogether, leaving users without recourse.

To protect themselves, users should immediately stop investing further funds, document all communications and transactions, and warn others to avoid becoming victims.

Also read: Stagwell TV South Africa: Fake Tax Demands Escalate as Platform Freezes Users and Chaos Ensues

The Final Verdict

The withdrawal issues, coupled with the dubious “AI Bear” upgrade, fabricated “1st anniversary celebration,” and misleading employment narrative, are undeniable signs that Stagwell TV South Africa is collapsing.

Despite its aggressive efforts to suppress criticism and distract users with promises of resolution, the platform’s fundamental flaws are too glaring to ignore.

Unregistered, unregulated, and undeniably fraudulent, Stagwell TV epitomises the dangers of scams disguised in legitimacy. For those still engaging with the platform, the message is clear: disengage, document your losses, and warn others before it’s too late.

With the collapse all but certain, the only question remaining is how many more will be deceived before the final curtain falls.

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12 Comments

  1. Shaun says:

    Seems like the final ruse has come. Asking for more money to pay SARS TAX or your account will be deleted for non compliance. They claim their bank accounts are frozen because of action taken by SARS. They are requested fixed rate depending on the users level. The gig is definitely up! Asking for personal information and what not. I suggest that anyone using the APP currently to not pay anymore money to them or give them any personal information such as Tax numbers etc.

  2. L says:

    To anyone wanting to open a case at the police station, do a search on the Ciproza site. The owner of Stagwell TV Group SA’s name, surname, ID number and address can be found there. Good luck everyone!

  3. Avhakholwi Nyakulalini says:

    The tame our money and the use the south African bank account nedbank and discover they must freeze this people account from fraud

    • Heidi Law says:

      Heart breaking for all to loose money this way
      It all seemed good and then it disappeared
      Please Go open a Police Case and hopefully these Stagwell people can be caught.

  4. Ntwana says:

    These ppl need to be found and arrested bcs they are real killers they dissappear with my money in their app now they are asking me to pay tax yet they have my money that is in my app I wish if they can be founded bcs many ppl they keep depositing money ours sisters and brothers please don’t deposit the money in to stagewell they are scamers

  5. Sonja Hamman says:

    How can I pay tax in a private account. There’s no tax number,. They scammed us. Why can’t they take the tax from our wallet and pay it. Because they know since December they scammed us. Thank God I only but about R5000 in and the withdrawal was about R10000 so actually I did not lose anything. But still everyone was hoping for that money.

  6. Emily says:

    Stagwell is a big scam.they take from.people who is also in need some people loose everything through them.they are cold hearted scammers

  7. Veronica says:

    They scammed a lot of good peopel. Yes i lost money too but its not that mutch. But its realy heart breaking to know there were peopel puting more then 10 000r in out of there own pokets to invest. This is a realy bad but we wil get throug it. Please peopel dont pay in any more money.

  8. Albertina says:

    I am very disappointed shame because we were trying by all means to watch videos every day using our data yhooo I still don’t believe they were scamming us just like that

  9. Alina says:

    I lost R23k. My husband R16k and my mother R3k.
    My belief is, that if you made any cash from this scam, you are taking stolen money from scammers who stole from others, like me.

  10. Alida says:

    I lost R23k. My husband R16 and my mother R3k. I believe that if you made any cash from this scam, you are taking stolen money from scammers who stole from others, like myself.

  11. Precious says:

    The person who registered this scam on CIPC should be held accountable as this was a syndicate of her beneficial, her bank account received lots of money from the victims which they named employees. Her bank statements are a prove to that, she solely removed people who enquired about the scam from the group in the name of removing negative people.
    She knows exactly the people she had worked with and they all should be jailed together because if not, they will continue to scam people.
    Hope Stagwelltv Global and all other companies ie Samsung, Apple and all others open a fraud case against them.

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