Client Cyber Safety Guide

Effective date: 12 August 2026

Estate planning involves information that criminals may misuse. This guide explains how to recognise suspicious requests, protect your information and verify genuine EstateWatch™ communications.

1. EstateWatch’s official contact details

EstateWatch is operated by Johan C Whelan from Farm 37, Brandwacht, Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.

• Email: info@estatewatch.co.za
• Telephone: +27 76 878 6069
• Website: https://www.estatewatch.co.za/

If a message does not match these details, or if anything feels unusual, do not act until you have verified it through the contact details above.

2. What we will not ask you to do

EstateWatch will not ask you by email, SMS, WhatsApp or social-media message to:

• share a password, PIN, one-time password (OTP), security answer or full payment-card number;
• install remote-access software or give someone control of your device;
• send identity documents, a complete will, bank statements or other highly sensitive records through an unarranged public channel;
• keep a payment or instruction secret from your family, adviser or bank; or
• make an urgent payment to a newly supplied or suddenly changed bank account without independent verification.

3. Payments and bank-detail changes

Only pay through a payment page reached from the official EstateWatch website or after independently confirming written payment instructions with Johan C Whelan using the official telephone number above. A legitimate payment provider may request payment details on its own secure page. EstateWatch will not ask you to send your PIN, OTP or full card details directly.

Treat any bank-detail change as high risk. Verify it by calling a previously known number—not a number contained only in the message requesting payment. Paystack is being considered as EstateWatch’s online payment provider; no message should claim that Paystack payment is compulsory unless a verified payment page is visibly available on estatewatch.co.za.

4. Protect your devices and accounts

• Use a unique, long password for your email and enable multi-factor authentication.
• Keep your phone, browser, operating system and security software updated.
• Lock devices with a PIN or biometric control and enable remote device location/wiping where appropriate.
• Do not open unexpected attachments or sign in through links in urgent messages; type the known website address yourself.
• Back up important estate records securely and test that the backup can be restored.
• Limit the estate and identity information you share on social media.

5. Safer handling of estate documents

Share only what is necessary for the stated purpose. Confirm who will receive it, why it is needed and how it should be transmitted. Redact unnecessary identity numbers, account numbers, signatures and beneficiary details where possible. Do not upload sensitive documents to a public form unless EstateWatch has specifically arranged a suitable secure channel.

6. Warning signs

Common warning signs include urgency, secrecy, threats, unusual grammar or sender addresses, unexpected invoices, changed bank details, requests for remote access, shortened links, and demands for an OTP or PIN. A familiar logo, name or profile photograph does not prove that a message is genuine.

7. If you receive a suspicious message

1. Stop. Do not click, reply, pay or forward sensitive information.
2. Preserve the message, sender address, number, link and relevant screenshots.
3. Verify independently with EstateWatch at info@estatewatch.co.za or +27 76 878 6069.
4. If money or banking credentials may be at risk, contact your bank’s fraud team immediately.
5. Change affected passwords from a trusted device and enable multi-factor authentication.
6. Report the incident to the appropriate law-enforcement or regulatory authority where necessary.

8. If personal information may have been exposed

Tell EstateWatch promptly what happened and what information may be involved. We will assess information within our control and take reasonable steps required by law. You can also contact the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully.

9. Your responsibility

Cybersecurity is shared. EstateWatch takes reasonable precautions, but no internet, email or payment system is risk-free. You are responsible for protecting your devices, access credentials and payment approvals, and for verifying unusual instructions before acting.

© 2026 EstateWatch™. Operated by Johan C Whelan.
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