Q&A

Nazia Carrim, head of product development at the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) addresses the scam landscape in the region with News24. SAFPS is a non-profit organisation established 20 years ago to share fraud-related information and implement prevention solutions to help industries protect themselves against fraud.

What's the difference between a fraud incident and a scam incident? The difference is that in a fraud, the victim is usually unaware of the actual incident, whereas in a scam, the victim is targeted and manipulated to facilitate the crime through their own actions, either due to manipulation or a failure to do due diligence. So in a fraud, the victim is unaware of the incident. In a scam, the victim is actually facilitating the process unbeknown, to their own detriment.

What types of scams and frauds do the SAFPS see? We see a wide range of scams and frauds, from simple document forgery to complex cyber scams, banking fraud, kidnappings, and even incidents that can lead to human trafficking.

Is there enough education and digital literacy to prevent scams? No, there is a lack of education, especially among the younger generation, who are unaware of the power and risks associated with the technology they use. More grassroots-level education is needed.

Is there a specific action people should take to help reduce rising levels of crime? If you are a victim of a scam, report it immediately. Our lifestyle is very much based on convenience and time. So you won't necessarily go and report that your phone stolen if you don't need a case number to claim from insurance. But when you don't, what you don't realise is that stolen device is still linked to your financial activities.  The moment you don't inform those financial institutions that your device is stolen, somebody can access your phone and continue to use that device as if it's you using it. The financial inistutions will be none the wiser that that device is supposed to have been blocked or delinked from your financial profiles.

What practical steps can people take to protect themselves if they suspect a scam? The key steps include reporting the incident, informing your contacts and accounts, changing passwords, and blocking the device from accessing your accounts. Reporting the incident is crucial to provide intelligence for investigations.