‘Cut the Call’: South Africans Warned as Vishing Scams Surge

‘Cut the Call’: SAFPS Warns South Africans to Fight Back Against Vishing Fraud

Phone scams aren’t new to South Africans, but the people behind them have become slicker, faster and frighteningly convincing. The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) is sounding the alarm with a simple message: if you weren’t expecting the call, cut it.

Vishingshort for “voice phishing”, has become one of the country’s fastest-growing fraud tactics. It involves scammers calling victims while pretending to be from banks, service providers, insurers, government departments or even IT support desks. They use personal details, urgency and fear to trick people into revealing banking information or authorising fraudulent transactions.

A Scam That Sounds Legit, Until Your Money Disappears

Manie van Schalkwyk, CEO of SAFPS, says these criminals know exactly how to sound official. It’s no longer people guessing your name or reading from a dodgy script. Syndicates now target both ordinary people and corporate workersespecially those with access to financial data or systems.

When they succeed, the results are harsh: wiped-out savings, compromised work networks, or fraudulent transactions that take months to resolve.

“Awareness is our frontline defence,” Van Schalkwyk stresses. The problem, he says, is that too many South Africans think they’re “too smart to fall for it.” That confidence is exactly what scammers exploit.

How Scammers Hook You

Here’s how the fraudsters reel people inoften using a calm, professional voice and real personal info to back up their lies:

• Pretending to be from your bank’s fraud department and asking you to “verify details”

• Claiming someone is trying to perform a SIM swap and demanding a one-time PIN to stop it

• Telling you your money must be “moved to a safe account”

• Convincing you to invest in bogus schemes using info they already have about you

• Inviting you to a fake online event via WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook, then asking for an OTP to “confirm access”

South Africans on TikTok, X and Facebook have started sharing their near-misses, with many realising only afterwards that the caller had never verified themselves.

Spot the Red Flags Quickly

According to SAFPS, there’s no grey area: if the call wasn’t expected, and someone pushes you to act fast, it’s almost definitely a scam. These are the warning signs to look for:

• It’s an unsolicited call about fraud, account issues or unusual activity

• They create urgency to rush you into making a decision

• They ask for confidential details like PINs, OTPs, passwords or account info

• They avoid specifics or get irritated when questioned

• They want payment in vouchers, crypto or via a link sent while on the call

• The call sounds off, robotic voice, static, background chatter

The SAFPS Rule: Just Hang Up

Van Schalkwyk says the best defence isn’t clever comebacks or playing detectiveit’s hanging up.

• Don’t press buttons

• Don’t read out OTPs

• Don’t respond to pop-ups or links

• Just say goodbye and end the call

If something feels off, call your bank directly using numbers from official websites or your bank cardnever one provided by the caller.

What to Do After a Suspicious Call

South Africans don’t just have to ignore it, they can report it:

✅ Visit: www.yima.org.za
✅ Hotline: 083 123 7226

These reports help SAFPS track emerging tactics and warn others.

Why This Matters Now

With load shedding disruptions, rising unemployment and more people relying on mobile banking, scammers have more entry points than ever. Online forums are full of stories of “almost victims”and others who weren’t as lucky.

Communities are calling for banks and networks to launch caller ID verification or automatic scam alerts. In the meantime, SAFPS’s advice is quick, cheap and effective:

If you didn’t ask for the call, don’t entertain it, just end it.

{Source: IOL}

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