Losses due to cybercrime involving bank accounts amounted to an R1.8bn last year and the chances of the criminals being detained are slim.

City Press reports that the number of incidents increased by 86% from 52 584 in 2023 to 97 975 last year, according to the latest report by the SA Banking Risk Information Centre.

In 65% of cases, clients’ money was stolen via banking apps. 

The main trick scamsters use phishing attacks.

This is when the criminal poses as a representative of a bank’s fraud department and telephonically tricks the victim into transferring money to accounts from where it disappears.

Bonita Hughes of the National Financial Ombud says her office recently dealt with a case in which a victim lost R3m.

Full City Press report