South Africa Deploys Scam Signal to Protect Consumers Against Rising Banking Fraud

Last year, fraud in South Africa led to financial losses nearing three billion rand, highlighting the urgent need for stronger protections against financial crime. In response, cross-industry collaboration between the mobile, banking, and technology sectors is playing a pivotal role in providing critical defences for consumers and financial institutions alike.

South Africa became the second country to launch the Scam Signal platform, following its successful deployment in the UK. The system is designed to combat Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, a type of scam where criminals trick individuals or businesses into authorising payments to accounts controlled by the fraudsters. APP fraud typically involves sophisticated social engineering, such as impersonating trusted organisations or creating a sense of urgency to manipulate victims. Because victims willingly initiate these payments, banks often find it more difficult to halt or reverse losses compared to unauthorised transactions.

The launch of Scam Signal in South Africa was a result of collaboration among several major banks, MTN Chenosis, global data analytics company FICO, Jersey Telecom (JT), and the GSMA. The initiative went live in October 2025 to provide enhanced fraud protection for millions of banking customers. Brian Gorman, Fintech Lead at GSMA, highlighted the importance of partnership in addressing this challenge. He also acknowledged the support of the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), whose coordination of discussions with banks and mobile network operators was key to creating a unified approach to combating financial crime.

Scam Signal operates through Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs) that link banking systems with mobile networks. By combining real-time network intelligence with customer and payment data, the platform helps banks detect and prevent social engineering scams during live transactions. Predictive indicators of fraudulent activity allow banks to assess transaction risks more accurately, protecting both consumers and institutions from potential losses.

The platform is further integrated into the FICO Omni Channel Engagement solution, enabling financial institutions to send personalised, context-aware messages to customers during high-risk transactions. This approach helps disrupt scammers’ efforts and adds a critical layer of protection.

Banks facing rising digital banking fraud can now leverage platforms like MTN Chenosis to integrate fraud protection into onboarding, authentication, and payment processes without building new infrastructure or connecting to multiple providers. Scam Signal complements other API-based solutions from South African mobile operators, including real-time identity verification, SIM-swap detection, and fraud-risk scoring.

“From our experience in both markets, one lesson stands out: cross-industry collaboration is the key to success.”

– Brian Gorman, Fintech Lead, GSMA

He added that UK deployments have been transformative, improving fraud detection rates by up to 40% while maintaining a false positive ratio of 3:1 for certain strategies. In South Africa, working closely with banks and SABRIC has reinforced the importance of bringing industry partners together to strengthen defences against emerging threats.

 “Our development approach is rooted in industry insights and a clear understanding of the business problem. By drawing lessons from UK deployments and engaging closely with South African banks and partners, we have tailored this service specifically for our market.”

– Waseem Amra, GM for Products and Platforms, MTN Chenosis

Following the successful launches in the UK and South Africa, efforts are already underway to expand the Scam Signal platform to additional global markets, extending its protective capabilities to more banking customers worldwide.