South Africans are facing a new wave of digital scams, everything from fake websites to deepfake videos, just as Black Friday and the festive season approach.
Criminals are getting smarter, but so can we.
Roshan Jelal, Head of Fraud at FNB Commercial, urges everyone to stay alert, trust their instincts, and double-check before clicking, paying, or sharing. A few simple steps could be the difference between staying safe and falling victim.
What to watch out for:
Online shopping scams—fraudsters set up fake online shops or social media pages, offering big discounts. Once you pay, you never get the goods.
- Don’t click on suspicious links or websites.
- Always check if the seller is real; search for reviews or use a website checker.
- If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Investment scams—scammers promise big profits with little risk and pressure you to invest quickly
- Always check if the investment company or advisor is registered with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA).
- Be careful of “guaranteed” returns, as every investment has risks.
- Don’t let anyone rush you into making a decision.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)—criminals hack into your email account or pretend to be someone in your company, like your boss or a supplier, and send emails that look real, instructing you to change payment details or urgently pay an invoice.
- Always double-check payment requests by calling the person or company directly, using a number you already know.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your email and online banking.
- Train your staff to spot unusual requests or changes in bank details.
- Use your bank’s “Verify Owner” feature to check that the account number matches the account holder’s name before sending money.
Money mule scams—You might be asked to move money through your bank account for someone else. The funds could be the proceeds of a crime and can get you into serious trouble.
- Never accept job offers or requests to transfer money for people you don’t know.
- Only use your bank account for your own transactions or those you can personally verify.
Social engineering & impersonation—scammers use phone calls, emails, or even fake videos to pretend to be someone you trust.
- Never share your PIN, OTP, or passwords.
- Always use official channels to check who is contacting you.
- Use “Safewords” with your family or staff—a secret word or phrase to confirm identity or if someone is in a precarious situation. If someone can’t give you the Safeword, it’s probably a scam, or they may need urgent assistance.
Online scams & Romance scams – fraudsters build trust over time, then ask for money or investments. This often happens in online relationships.
- Be careful with new online friends who quickly talk about money or investments.
- Don’t send money or personal information to someone you haven’t met in person.
Duress scenarios—sometimes, criminals use threats or emotional pressure to force you to send money or share details.
- Don’t share too much about your life on social media.
- Set up dual authorization for big payments.
- Use Safewords to signal if you’re in trouble.
Tender scams—scammers pretend to be from government or big companies, sending fake requests for quotations (RFQs) and asking for upfront payments.
- Always check RFQs with the official company or department directly and using contact details sourced independently
- Be careful of urgent or unusual requests.
What you should do now
- Follow your bank’s fraud awareness campaigns.
- Always double-check before sending money or personal information and never act under pressure.
- Teach your family, especially the elderly and young, how to spot scams.
