South Africa recorded the highest rate of suspected digital fraud among African countries analysed in 2025, with 3.0% of transactions involving consumers flagged as potentially fraudulent. This figure is slightly below the global average of 3.8%, according to the TransUnion H1 2026 Update: Top Fraud Trends report.
While the suspected fraud rate declined from 4.3% in 2024, the report cautions that this does not necessarily signal reduced criminal activity. Instead, it suggests a shift toward more sophisticated, AI-enabled fraud techniques designed to increase precision, scale, and success rates.
Fraud losses remain high but trail global levels
The median reported fraud loss among South African consumers who experienced digital fraud in the past year was R11,055. This is the second highest in Africa after Kenya, but significantly lower than the global median of R27,879.
The findings point to an increasingly complex fraud environment where criminals are using more targeted and coordinated methods across email, online platforms, phone calls, and SMS channels.
