AI identity fraud South Africa is becoming a growing concern, as fraudsters shift from traditional scams to sophisticated, AI-driven attacks. Sumsub’s 2025–2026 Identity Fraud Report shows that while global identity fraud rates have fallen slightly, fraud using deepfakes, synthetic identities, and autonomous agents is rising sharply.
Globally, the report notes a 180% year-on-year increase in “sophisticated fraud”. These are complex schemes that involve AI-assisted impersonation and document forgery. Meanwhile, overall fraud rates dropped from 2.6% in 2024 to 2.2% in 2025. This shows that stronger verification systems and improved regulation are limiting traditional scams.
“Fraudsters are moving from high-volume, low-effort scams to targeted, AI-powered operations. Meanwhile, businesses and regulators innovate with advanced verification and behavioural analytics,” said Hannes Bezuidenhout, Sumsub VP for Sales Africa.
South African businesses face similar challenges. Fraudsters are increasingly exploiting AI technologies, particularly during peak periods such as the festive season. Phishing, social engineering, and account takeovers remain common. Therefore, companies must implement verification systems capable of authenticating both humans and AI agents acting on their behalf.
The report warns that AI-driven fraud is likely to grow in 2026, with autonomous agents, synthetic identities, and complex networks creating new obstacles for digital verification. Companies that adopt multi-layered verification systems will be better positioned to protect customers and reduce financial losses.
