In its 2026 first-quarter Top Fraud Trends report, TransUnion revealed that South Africa recorded the highest rate of suspected digital fraud among African countries analysed in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2025, the median reported fraud loss among South African consumers who claimed to have lost money to digital fraud, through email, online transactions, phone calls, and text messages, in the previous year was R11,055. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This amount ranks second-highest in Africa, after Kenya, and is significantly lower than the global median of R27,879.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report reveals that the digital fraud landscape in South Africa has become increasingly complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
TransUnion said that generative AI is likely contributing to the scale and sophistication of criminal activities, allowing fraudsters to target both consumers and businesses with greater precision and speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report indicated that South African consumers are now encountering coordinated, identity-driven, cross-channel attacks, similar to those seen in more mature digital economies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One-third (33%) of South African consumers who reported losing money to digital fraud in the past year indicated that their losses resulted from third-party seller scams on legitimate e-commerce platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This suggests that consumers are not losing money in suspect or unsafe environments; rather, fraudsters have embedded themselves in settings that appear credible, familiar, and trustworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis signals a market where criminals are exploiting established trust, active accounts and verified digital relationships, and is a clear break from global fraud patterns typically dominated by phishing,\u201d said TransUnion Africa Senior Director of fraud product management Amritha Reddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suspected rate of digital fraud for attempted consumer transactions in South Africa decreased from 4.3% in 2024 to 3.0% in 2025, a trend also seen globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, this drop does not necessarily mean that criminal activity has reduced; it may instead indicate a shift towards AI-enabled tactics aimed at maximising returns on investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Type of fraud<\/strong><\/td>| Percentage of consumers reporting losing money to fraud<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> | Third-party seller scams on legitimate ecommerce sites<\/td> | 33%<\/td><\/tr> | Social engineering<\/td> | 26%<\/td><\/tr> | Account takeover<\/td> | 24%<\/td><\/tr> | Stolen credit card or fraudulent charges<\/td> | 24%<\/td><\/tr> | Money mule<\/td> | 23%<\/td><\/tr> | Identity theft<\/td> | 22%<\/td><\/tr> | Phishing (fraudulent emails, websites, social posts, QR codes, etc. meant to steal personal information)<\/td> | 21%<\/td><\/tr> | Smishing (fraudulent text messages meant to steal personal information)<\/td> | 19%<\/td><\/tr> | Vishing (fraudulent phone calls or voice messages meant to steal personal information)<\/td> | 16%<\/td><\/tr> | Unemployment benefits<\/td> | 15%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div> | South Africa is one of the few markets where the highest rate of suspected digital fraud attempts occurs at the account login stage, with 3.0% of login attempts flagged as potentially fraudulent. TransUnion based its conclusions on a global survey involving 12,730 consumers from 18 countries and regions, conducted between 20 November and 9 December, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suspected digital fraud attempts in South Africa by sector<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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