The Never-Ending Saga: Tiger Agriculture Now Wants to Charge a So-Called 13% Tax for Supposed Refunds

As Tiger Agriculture’s collapse deepens, the scam continues to cling to increasingly desperate tactics to extract more money from its victims.

The latest ploy involves a so-called “Refund Plan” that appears on its website upon login, requiring participants to pay a 13% “tax” to unlock refunds from their frozen balances. Participants are even prompted to digitally “sign” their agreement to this supposed refund process, further perpetuating the illusion of legitimacy.

This new tactic follows the removal of the Tiger Agriculture app from the Google Play Store and a complete halt on withdrawals since 20 November 2024.

Despite this, the scam’s almost daily barrage of multi-pronged final heists continues, each designed to extract the last remaining funds from its victims.

The “Refund Plan” Breakdown

The notice, accessible only to those who log in to the website, claims that Tiger Agriculture’s accounts have been frozen by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Pretoria, supposedly leaving R1.329 billion locked in the scam’s bank account.

To address this, the scam offers two options for participants:

1. Option 1:
   • Participants can “purchase products” by paying 87% of the product price upfront.
   • The remaining 13% would supposedly be deducted from their frozen account balance, enabling them to earn daily returns and make withdrawals.
2. Option 2:
   • Participants are required to pay an additional 13% tax to withdraw their funds. For example, someone with a balance of R5,000 would need to pay R650 upfront to access their refund.
   • The so-called refunds are promised to be completed by 7 December 2024, with participants instructed to apply by 5 December.

The message further emphasises that participants should “choose the plan that suits them according to their situation” and sign the agreement by clicking “I Agree.”

A Classic Ruse

It goes without saying that the 13% tax claim raises more questions than answers. What “tax” is being referenced here?

Under which of the SARS tax categories would this fall? How is an unregistered investment scheme legally allowed to charge taxes?

Beyond these absurdities, the very act of handling investment funds without being registered with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is illegal in South Africa.

Tiger Agriculture is not a registered Financial Services Provider (FSP), and the suggestion that it is implementing a tax is yet another brazen fabrication in a long list of deceptive tactics.

The claim of a massive R1.329 billion bank account balance frozen by the SAPS is equally dubious. It serves as bait, luring participants into believing they still stand a chance of recovering their money if they pay the 13% “tax.”

Preying on Desperation

The scam’s latest ploy capitalises on victims’ desperation. By offering a supposed path to recover their funds, Tiger Agriculture creates a false sense of hope, encouraging participants to throw good money after bad.

This “Refund Plan” is shamelessly designed to exploit those who have already fallen for previous recharges and membership-level upgrades.

For these participants, paying the 13% tax may feel like their only chance of salvaging their investments—only to realise they have been scammed yet again.

Signs of the Final Heist

Tiger Agriculture’s actions align with the final stages of a scam’s lifecycle:

1. Repeated requests for additional deposits under various guises.
2. The illusion of activity through fabricated refund schemes.
3. A complete disappearance, leaving participants with no recourse.

With both tigeragriculture.com and site.tigeragriculture.com now offline, and tigeragriculture.world barely functional, it’s only a matter of time before the remaining platforms, including tigeragriculture.group, vanish entirely.

The removal of the app from the Google Play Store, combined with the increasingly brazen tactics like the 13% tax ruse, signals that Tiger Agriculture is desperately clutching at straws in its final days.

What’s Next?

As Tiger Agriculture collapses further, participants are advised not to pay any additional fees or engage further with the scam.

The 13% tax scheme and any subsequent communications are purely designed to deceive and extract more money from victims.

However, the aftermath of Tiger Agriculture’s collapse presents new dangers. Influencers and promoters of other scams have already taken to platforms like Facebook and TikTok, attempting to lure disillusioned Tiger Agriculture participants into their schemes.

Using clichés such as, “We told you Tiger Agriculture was a scam, but you can trust [this investment] instead,” they promote unregistered schemes that are likely to meet the same fate as Tiger Agriculture.

Some of these newly promoted scams include:

• Barrick Investment/Barrickchs (barrickchs.com), a mining scam we’ve debunked here: Barrickchs: Posing as Barrick Gold to Dupe Investors
• Koonox, a pyramid scheme already fizzling out, which we exposed here: Unpacking the Koonox Scam

Participants in Tiger Agriculture, now desperate to recover their losses, are prime targets for these schemes. Scammers exploit their vulnerability and hope, perpetuating the cycle of deception.

The collapse of Tiger Agriculture is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by unregistered investment schemes.

While the scam’s digital footprint fades, the lessons remain clear: vigilance and awareness are critical, as quick returns often come at a devastating cost.