Telecoms fraud losses over R5bn

A new report by the Communication Risk Information Centre (COMRiC) has revealed that telecommunications-linked fraud is costing South Africa R5.3-billion a year, with nearly 60% of mobile banking fraud linked to SIM swap crimes.

The ‘Telecommunications Sector Report 2025’, deemed a landmark publication during COMRiC’s five-year journey as a leading industry body focused on crime and risk intelligence in the telecommunications sector, highlights a surge in criminal activity targeting both digital systems and physical infrastructure.

Cyberattacks increased by 126% globally and fraud in South African telecommunications-linked transactions rose by 78% from 2022 to 2023.

Infrastructure sabotage continues to inflict billions in economic damage, destabilising network uptime, emergency services and national connectivity.

Infrastructure-related losses, driven by copper cable and lithium battery theft, vandalism and sabotage, exceeded R7-billion across the telecommunications, energy and logistics sectors.

“Telecommunications crime is no longer a siloed challenge. It touches everything from banking and energy to personal security and national infrastructure,” COMRiC outlines in the report.

“South Africa’s telecommunications sector continues to face complex, layered threats, including SIM swap fraud, subscription and identity fraud, ransomware attacks and infrastructure sabotage. The illicit use of sim boxes, synthetic identity creation and criminal bypassing of SIM authentication processes present evolving dangers.”

However, despite the deepening complexity of these threats, the report also reflects growing resilience across the sector, with momentum building.

AI-led prevention, biometric authentication, regulatory pressure and cross-industry collaboration are showing measurable results.

Between March 2024 and April 2025, reported telecommunications fraud cases declined owing to improved real-time network monitoring, AI-powered fraud detection, real-time analytics, biometric SIM registration adoption and stronger interagency response coordination, which are collectively starting to shift the balance.

Mobile network operators processed 3 600 SIM swap requests between January and April 2025, of which only 3% were confirmed fraudulent following deeper authentication checks.

Mobile operators have also strengthened defences through participation in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, enabling the use of secure APIs to combat subscription fraud and digital identity theft.

COMRiC CEO Advocate Thokozani Mvelase said the findings underscored both the urgency of the challenge – with the need for urgent national action – and the momentum behind solutions.

“The 2025 report shows that while the threat landscape is escalating, so too is the sector’s capacity to respond. South Africa must now move beyond reactive measures and build a resilient, collaborative defence framework that spans public and private sectors.”

The report calls for the immediate implementation of a National Cybersecurity Resilience Plan that mirrors the structured response already underway in the financial services sector, as well as the formal establishment of a sector-wide Computer Security Incident Response Team to facilitate intelligence sharing, coordinated responses and early threat detection.

COMRiC further urged the enforcement of biometric RICA compliance and a regulatory crackdown on pre-RICA’d SIM cards, which are currently linked to over 60% of telecommunications-related extortion cases.

The report also cited successful anti-fraud strategies implemented in countries like Ghana, Tanzania and Uzbekistan, where SIM box fraud has dropped by as much as 80% owing to real-time traffic monitoring systems, stricter registration laws and regulatory collaboration.

South Africa must match this level of urgency and innovation to protect its digital infrastructure and national security, the report warned.

“As COMRiC enters its sixth year, its role as a convenor, watchdog and strategic partner in telecom resilience is more vital than ever. With stronger collaboration, improved compliance and public education, the sector has a real opportunity to turn the tide and to protect the networks that power South Africa’s digital economy.”