South Africa recorded the highest suspected digital fraud rate among African countries analysed in 2025, yet the country’s biggest cybercrime challenge may not be the number of attacks but how quickly fraudsters are becoming smarter.
New figures from TransUnion show that 3.0% of digital transactions involving South African consumers were flagged as suspected fraud last year, down from 4.3% in 2024.
On the surface, the decline appears encouraging. But researchers say the trend may actually reflect a dangerous shift in criminal behaviour rather than an improvement in online safety.
The findings offer a glimpse into a broader transformation unfolding across Africa’s digital economy, where growing internet penetration, expanding e-commerce and rising digital payments are creating new opportunities for both businesses and cybercriminals.
Fewer attacks, greater precision
