The National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) has issued a warning over a sharp rise in fraud linked to virtual banking cards, as more South Africans adopt digital payment methods.
Complaints of digital banking fraud jumped 73% in the first five months of 2025 compared with the same period last year – from 1,436 to 2,483 cases. In contrast, ATM card fraud complaints rose from 237 to 332 over the same period, remaining far lower than virtual card fraud cases.
Virtual cards, which can be loaded onto smartphones and wearable devices, are marketed as a secure alternative to physical cards because they cannot be physically lost or duplicated. However, Lead Ombud for Banking and Credit, Nerosha Maseti, says they are still vulnerable if a customer’s digital banking credentials are compromised.
“Our investigations show that fraudsters typically gain access through tactics like phishing, vishing and smishing, allowing them to create virtual cards on a victim’s profile and make transactions,” Maseti said.
In one case, a consumer lost R500,000 after being tricked into giving her banking login details to scammers posing as bank staff. The fraudsters created multiple virtual cards and made online purchases, which were approved via the victim’s own banking app. The bank refused to refund the money, and the NFO found no evidence of negligence by the bank, ruling that the customer had compromised her own security credentials.
Maseti emphasised that customers must never share confidential banking details, including passwords and One Time Pins (OTPs), and should carefully read all authentication requests before approving them. She also urged consumers to enable multi-factor authentication, avoid public Wi-Fi for transactions, set spending limits, and never click on suspicious links.
The NFO advises that suspected fraud should be reported to banks immediately, as they are the only ones able to block accounts or recover funds. Complaints can be escalated to the NFO if a customer is unhappy with their bank’s response.
