Fraud warning for South Africa

South Africans are experiencing a surge in fraud, a new survey showed, the latest indicator that the authorities are struggling to bring crime under control. 

Some 566,000 people reported falling victim to consumer fraud in the year through March, up 54% from the prior 12 months, according to the Victims of Crime Survey released on Tuesday by Statistics South Africa. 

The annual report, which gauges citizens’ experience of crime and their sense of security, said consumer fraud occurred when providers of goods or services cheated customers on quality or quantity. Its definition includes credit-card and online-shopping scams. 

The release of the survey findings comes months after the country’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority announced moves to improve monitoring and enforcement of crypto-related schemes.

The statistics agency also considered the impact of violent and sexual crimes, with 6% of respondent households having experienced a house break-in over the past fiscal year.