Protecting your ID number
Your ID number plus a copy of your ID is most of what someone needs to open credit in your name. Both circulate far more widely than people realise, and a few habits materially reduce the risk.
Share it only through a provider’s own secure application, never through messaging apps or email, where the copy persists on servers and devices you do not control.
Ask why it is needed. Plenty of organisations request an ID copy out of habit rather than requirement, and each additional copy is an additional exposure.
Check your credit report annually. An account you did not open is the earliest reliable signal of identity fraud, and the earlier it is caught the easier it is to unwind.
If you have been a victim, or your documents have been lost or stolen, a protective registration with the South African Fraud Prevention Service adds a verification step to applications made in your name.
Related
Sources and last checked
- Information Regulator — guidance note on direct marketing under POPIA — Regulator guidance, as at 10 August 2026.
Page last checked 10 August 2026. Statutory caps and lender terms change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the provider or the National Credit Regulator. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.