Our digital safety is in our hands :: Mmegi Online

A new report tells us that Botswana has Africa’s lowest rate of digital fraud. Only 0.9% of online transactions were flagged as suspicious last year, compared to a global average of 3.8%.

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.

We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask for your PIN, your ID number, or a one-time password. The moment you hand that over, your money disappears. The TransUnion report found that the highest risk comes at account creation, with a fraud rate of 2.6%. That is exactly where KYC fraudsters strike, when a trusting person believes they are protecting their account, but is actually opening the door to a thief.

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