Businesses lose P7.5m to SA e-commerce fraudsters

The chief of the fraud unit in the policing area, Superintendent Chifana Toitoi, fears that many more businesses across the country could be seriously affected, as the cases were only recorded in his beat.

He revealed that the syndicate's modus operandi is similar in almost all of the cases. After a local company places an order for goods from a South African counterpart, the syndicate sends an 'urgent email message' to the procuring company claiming to be the supplier. In the message the 'supplier' claims to have changed banking details for some unknown reasons and directs the local company to update the details accordingly.