South Africa getting system for reporting scams and fraud online

3 years ago 1

ARTICLE AD BOX

The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) is working on a system for South Africans to report scams, secure their personal information, and scan websites for vulnerabilities.

This comes after SAFPS stats revealed there was a 600% increase in incidents reported by its members in 2022 compared to 2018.

Called “Yima”, the system will help South Africans learn to identify scams and protect themselves online.

“In response to the growing need for a proactive approach to fraud prevention, the SAFPS is developing a product called Yima,” said SAFPS product development head Nazia Karrim.

“Once launched, the product’s website will be a one-stop-shop for South Africans to report scams, secure their identity, and scan any website for vulnerabilities related to scams.”

“They will also be able to educate themselves on identifying a scam. These tools will enable consumers to surf the net more confidently and go about their daily lives aware and informed,” Karrim added.

The centrepiece of the Yima website will be a reporting system for South Africans to submit any scam incidents or suspicious activity to the SAFPS.

It specified that suspicious activity includes fake or suspect-looking online shopping websites, portals, and incidents where residents receive phoney banking information.

“These reports will be collated and shared with law enforcement for investigation,” the SAFPS said.

“Users will also be provided a scams hotline to report a fraud incident directly to their banks, retailers or insurance companies via a single number.”

Additionally, Yima users will have access to the consumer products and services offered by the SAFPS.

Karrim said the tools provided by Yima are unique and will go a long way in fighting scams in South Africa.

“The most unique element of Yima is the ability to provide the consumer with the tools to be proactive when preventing scams and the services to assist them when they fall victim to a scam,” she said.

“This will make a significant difference in the war on scams. Empowering the consumer is key to prevention.”

However, not all scams are conducted online. The SAFPS shared the story of Ms Jones, who was wise to a telephonic scam relating to her cellular service provider.

Upon returning to South Africa from a holiday in Mauritius, Ms Jones almost became a victim of a scam. Her mobile SIM card malfunctioned, leaving her incredibly stressed as an important business tool was not working. She quickly switched off her smartphone and restarted it, hoping it was a freak occurrence. A few minutes later, she received a call from an individual who informed her that he was from her mobile service provider. He indicated that he noticed that her SIM card malfunctioned and that he could assist her in fixing it; all she needed to do was provide him with the one-time pin (OTP) sent to her phone.

Well aware of the various scams fraudsters use to target individuals, Ms Jones questioned the so-called representative about why he needed the OTP. Then, in an angry outburst, he started raising his voice and threatening to disconnect her service immediately if she did not comply with his request. Fortunately, Ms Jones, unmoved, was aware of the potential scam risks and informed the so-called representative that she would visit the nearest branch of her mobile operator to address the issue in person. She then disconnected the call.

“Many South Africans would have panicked and given in to the scammer’s demands,” said Karrim.

“This exchange is just one of the many examples of how Yima will make a significant difference in educating the consumer about the tactics used by scammers to pressure them to comply with the demands and, in the process, fall victim to the scam.”

“In the future, Ms Jones will be able to report this incident on Yima and have direct access to her mobile provider and banks to alert them of the issue via the scams’ hotline,” she added.