Message from Prof H Bhorat: Illegal use of my name

To whom it may concern,

Re: Illegal use of my name

I have recently been alerted that my name is being used in in an unauthorised and illegal way. There is a scam letter being circulated with a Mr Haroon Bhorat named as the contact person (see PDF attached). The UN logo letterhead is clearly fake, as is the email address listed.

I can emphatically confirm that I am not involved in any of the transactions or dealings noted in this fraudulent letter.

The authorities have been notified. I have reported the matter to the University of Cape Town's CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Team) and reached out to SAPS for advice on what protocols might be available to officially refute any association with this scam.

If you ever need to check whether a communication from me, the DPRU or UCT is genuine, please don’t hesitate to contact us: Tel: +27 (0)21 650 5022 or sarah.marriott@uct.ac.za.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Prof. Haroon Bhorat

Director of the Development Policy Research Unit
Professor in the School of Economics, University of Cape Town