Scam Alert! – Fake ARNNEX Bank $5M Deposit & AML Certificate Fraud

Reviewed by ScamReporting.org Editorial Team · Editorial standards

Reported July 2026 — A reader submission from South Africa describes a May 2026 scheme that moved from WhatsApp-style introductions to signed agreements, a fake bank portal, outbound payments, and finally an AML-certificate shakedown. Names and URLs below are from the reported script; the submitter’s personal details are withheld, and phone numbers from the report were not verified for publication.

Quick answer

If someone offers you a large commission to hold millions for a foreign investor, asks you to open an account at an unfamiliar bank, and later demands fees for an “AML certificate” or legal clearance, it is almost certainly fraud. Stop sending money, preserve screenshots and wire records, and report to local police and your national cybercrime unit.

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What the reader reported

The following is an anonymized summary of a reader submission received through our Report a Scam form. Personal contact information for the submitter has been removed.

Reader report (May–July 2026, South Africa): During May 2026 I was contacted by a gentleman, Marrima Jorge from Mozambique. He said he knew someone who wanted to invest in mines in South Africa — an investor from the DRC who was “presently under house arrest” but would send a representative.

On a Sunday I received a call from Mr. Aboubacar who said he represented Mr. Matula from the DRC and wanted to meet in Pretoria. I refused to meet and said I would not accept cash.

I was contacted again and told we should sign an agreement and an NCNDA, which I signed. I was instructed to open a business account at ARNNEX Bank (www.arnnexbank.com). The investor would deposit $5,000,000; I would invest in a mine and buy them a house, with 15% commission.

I opened the account and within hours the funds appeared. I was told to pay $100,000 to a company, which went through. When I tried to transfer $37,500 to my South African bank, the payment was put on hold and the account was later blocked.

I received email from the “bank” saying I needed an AML certificate and was given contact details for attorney David Camilleri Santos at Heritage Consult Legal Services in New York. He demanded $125,000 to apply for the certificate. I did not pay; I was later told $108,000 had already been paid and I owed the balance — which I also refused.

How this scam works

1. Cold introduction: A friendly intermediary (here, from Mozambique) pitches a high-value mining investment and names a foreign VIP investor to create urgency and exclusivity.
2. Representative meeting: A local “representative” calls to arrange an in-person meeting, testing whether the target will engage. Refusing cash meetings does not end the script — scammers pivot to paperwork.
3. Fake legitimacy: NCNDA and investment agreements mimic real deal flow. Signatures and formal documents are used to lower skepticism.
4. Fake bank deposit: The victim opens an account at a fraudulent bank website. A spoofed balance shows millions “deposited” quickly — money that does not exist in the real banking system.
5. Outbound payment: The victim is told to send a large fee or transfer to a third party. That real outbound payment is the first actual loss.
6. Withdrawal block + AML shakedown: When the victim tries to move funds to a legitimate bank, the fake account is frozen. A fake attorney then demands five- or six-figure “compliance” fees for an AML certificate.

Red Flags

• Unsolicited contact promising access to a wealthy foreign investor under legal trouble
• Pressure to open an account at an unfamiliar bank not listed on official regulators’ registers
• Millions credited to a new account within hours — real wire transfers do not work that way
• Requests to pay large fees before you can withdraw “your” balance
• Demands for an AML, tax, or clearance certificate from a law firm you did not choose
• Representatives who refuse normal due diligence and push secrecy (NCNDA-heavy scripts)
• Follow-up claims that partial compliance fees were “already paid on your behalf” to pressure more transfers

Reported contacts and URLs

These identifiers appeared in the reader submission. Paste them into Scammer Lookup or our Website Scam Checker before engaging.

• Fake bank: www.arnnexbank.com
• Reported names: Marrima Jorge (Mozambique); Aboubacar (DRC representative); David Camilleri Santos / Heritage Consult Legal Services (New York)

What to do if this matches your situation

• Stop paying. Any new “compliance,” AML, tax, or release fee is part of the same fraud chain.
• Preserve evidence: Save agreements, chat logs, emails, account screenshots, and wire confirmations.
• Contact your real bank if you sent money from a legitimate account — ask about recall options (success varies).
• Report locally: South African victims can contact SAPS and the Hawks; file cybercrime reports through official national channels.
• Report internationally: U.S.-linked phone numbers can be reported to the FBI’s IC3.gov; consumers can also use ReportFraud.ftc.gov for cross-border awareness.
• Paste the pitch into our Scam Checker to see matching fraud patterns.

For broader context on fee-after-fee scripts, see our guide on advance-fee fraud warning signs. Investment-bait variants overlap with crypto and investment fraud patterns. If you already lost money, read realistic recovery options — and avoid anyone who guarantees they can recover funds for an upfront fee.

Reminder: ScamReporting.org is an independent awareness platform — not law enforcement, not a bank regulator, and not a recovery service. This alert is educational only and is not legal or financial advice. Editorial standards: Editorial Policy.