SIM swap fraud
A SIM swap moves your number to a fraudster’s SIM, which hands them every one-time PIN sent to you — including the ones that authorise loans and payments. It is one of the most effective attacks in South Africa precisely because OTPs are trusted.
The attacker gathers enough personal information to convince your network to move your number to a new SIM. Your phone loses signal, and every OTP goes to them.
Sudden, unexplained loss of signal — particularly where others around you have coverage — is the warning. Treat it as urgent rather than as a network problem.
Act within minutes: contact your bank on another phone and have accounts frozen, then contact your network. The window between the swap and the fraud is short.
Prevent it where you can: ask your network about port protection or a porting PIN, keep your personal details off public profiles, and use an authenticator app rather than SMS for accounts that offer the choice.
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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.