HOW-TO

How to Report Online Fraud and Scams in South Africa

If you have been scammed online, acting fast matters. Here is the order to work through — your bank, SAPS, and the right specialist bodies — to report it properly.

Step by step

1. Call your bank's fraud line firstIf money has moved or your card is exposed, phone your bank's official 24/7 fraud number immediately (from the back of your card or the bank's real website) to freeze the account and attempt a recall. Speed matters most here.
2. Change compromised credentialsChange any password or PIN you may have exposed, from a safe device. Do not do this by clicking a link in the scam message — go to the official app or site directly.
3. Lay a charge at SAPSGo to any police station, make an affidavit, and lay a charge. Ask that it be referred to the cybercrime unit. Get your CAS number and the investigating officer's details so you can follow up.
4. Report banking fraud to SABRICFor card, account and banking-related fraud, report to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) at sabric.co.za, which works with the banks on organised fraud.
5. Use the right specialist channelFor SASSA grant fraud, call 0800 601 011 or email reportfraud@sassa.gov.za. For corruption in government services, use the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701. Investment or financial-services scams can be raised with the FSCA.
6. Log a cyber incident if neededIf you want to report suspicious online activity without laying a criminal charge, you can log it with the national Cybersecurity Hub. Keep this in addition to — not instead of — a SAPS case if money was lost.
7. Keep all your evidenceSave screenshots, messages, phone numbers, email addresses, payment references and dates. Give copies to the bank and SAPS; this evidence drives both the investigation and any recovery.

Being defrauded online is disorientating, and the instinct is often to freeze or feel ashamed. The single most useful thing to know is that the first hour matters more than anything else. Fraud reporting in South Africa is a sequence, and working through it in the right order gives you the best chance of limiting the damage.

First: contain the money

If any money has left your account, or your card or banking login is exposed, phone your bank’s own 24/7 fraud line before you do anything else. Use the number on the back of your card or from the bank’s official website — never a number from the scam message. The bank can freeze the account and, if you are quick, sometimes recall a transfer. This is time-critical: every minute reduces the odds. While you are at it, change any password or PIN you may have revealed, from a device you trust.

South Africa has no automatic refund scheme. Reporting fast is not a formality — it is the only thing that creates a chance of getting money back, and even then recovery is not guaranteed.

Second: create an official case

Go to any SAPS station, make an affidavit, and lay a charge. Ask that the matter be referred to the cybercrime unit, and make sure you leave with your CAS (case) number and the investigating officer’s contact details. That CAS number is your reference for everything that follows — banks, insurers and investigators all ask for it. Without a case number, there is no formal investigation to follow up.

Third: report to the right specialist body

Different frauds have dedicated channels, and using them strengthens your report:

• Banking and card fraud — report to SABRIC (the South African Banking Risk Information Centre), which coordinates with the banks on organised fraud.
• SASSA grant fraud — call the fraud hotline on 0800 601 011 or email reportfraud@sassa.gov.za.
• Corruption in government services — the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701.
• Investment and financial-services scams — raise these with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA).

If you want to flag suspicious online activity without laying a criminal charge, you can also log it with the national Cybersecurity Hub — but treat that as an addition to a SAPS case, not a replacement, when money is involved.

Watch out for the second scam

Victims are frequently approached afterward by “recovery agents” promising to retrieve stolen funds for an upfront fee. This is almost always a follow-up scam that targets the same people twice. Genuine recovery never requires you to pay a fee in advance or to hand over your OTP. If you recognise the warning signs, you will spot these too — our guide on how to spot official-service scams covers the same playbook, and if the fraud started with a bogus grant message, why your SASSA SRD says declined explains what real portal messages look like.

Following up after you report

Reporting is the start, not the end. Use your CAS number to check in with the investigating officer, and keep a written log of every call — who you spoke to, when, and what was said. Stay in contact with your bank’s fraud team too, because they often move faster than the criminal process and can tell you whether a recall succeeded. If your identity documents were exposed, consider registering a protective listing with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service so that fraudsters cannot easily open accounts in your name. Persistence matters: cases that are followed up are far more likely to progress than those filed and forgotten.

Throughout all of this, keep every scrap of evidence. Save screenshots, SMS and WhatsApp threads, email addresses, phone numbers, payment references, amounts and dates. Hand copies to your bank and SAPS. Good evidence is what turns a report into an investigation — and, occasionally, a recovery. Reporting also protects the next person: many scam networks are shut down only because enough victims came forward with the same details.

CluedUp is an independent guide and is not affiliated with any government agency. Fees, links and steps can change — always confirm on the official portal before you act. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.