South Africans’ fear of crime and low economic growth act as a shield against AI-related crime. (Graphic: Nicola Mawson | Unsplash and Magnific) South Africans’ street smarts as a result of the high levels of crime, as well as a low per capita gross domestic product (GDP), are proving to provide a level of protection…
In March 2026, Standard Bank publicly warned about AI-generated voices, cloned emails and deepfake content being used to mimic legitimate bank communications and staff. This type of activity has continued through to mid-2026 with the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) also warning that criminals are using AI tools to impersonate bank officials, create…
AI-driven automation is helping insurers reduce turnaround times, while strengthening fraud detection and operational efficiency. Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a core part of South African insurers’ operating models, with firms using the technology to automate quoting, accelerate claims processing, strengthen fraud detection and improve customer service. While approaches differ, insurers increasingly view AI…
LanDynamix Founder and CEO, Peter Clarke. Payment fraud is a critical and growing crisis in South Africa. It is costing billions of rands annually and showing massive spikes in digital banking and mobile app fraud. Criminals are increasingly utilising advanced social engineering, AI deepfakes and bank impersonation scams to manipulate victims into authorising transactions. This…
Eighteen months ago, one of South Africa’s largest retailers wasn’t worried about AI. Onboarding worked. Compliance checks passed audits. Fraud was a known, managed cost of doing business. Then a syndicate found them. The attack looked ordinary. Customers submitted genuine South African ID documents. Except they weren’t genuine anymore. Using AI, fraudsters had altered key…
South Africa bucked a trend seen across Africa, with a three-fold increase in iGaming fraud. (Image created by GenAI) South Africa’s know-your-client (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) tools are seen as fragmented, as the country experiences a three-fold surge in iGaming fraud. This, even though the country was taken off a global financial watchdog’s greylist last…
There is a growing demand for hybrid cyber security skills, according to digital tech professionals. Cyber security and digital technology specialists say there is a growing demand for hybrid cyber security talent – people who can connect cyber security to business strategy, communicate risk clearly and guide decision-making – in addition to a general shortage…
i2c Inc., a global financial technology innovator, today announced it has won the “Best AI-Powered Fraud Detection Solution by a Vendor” award at The Digital Banker Middle East & Africa Innovation Awards 2026. The award recognizes i2c’s innovative use of artificial intelligence to help financial institutions and fintechs strengthen fraud prevention, improve authorization performance, and…
South Africa is one of the few markets with the highest rate of suspected digital fraud attempts. (Image source: 123RF) South Africa had the highest rate of suspected digital fraud among African countries analysed, with 3% of transactions involving consumers in South Africa being suspected of digital fraud during 2025 – slightly below the global…
As AI systems grow more capable, criminals are using them to deliver increasingly sophisticated scams. Yet even as attacks on systems grow in scope and frequency, the exploitation of human trust through social engineering remains the most common entry point to full system infiltration. “The most common attacks we see are social engineering attempts leveraging…
