Tag: payment fraud

Cybercrime remains rife, despite the efforts to combat it. In a recent court case, the court reaffirmed the legal position as to who bears responsibility for payment where a third-party accesses an email system, changes the banking details, and payment is made into an incorrect account.

The rise in finance and accounting cybercrime through phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) has made headlines with massive implications for South African companies with gaps in their payment systems. However, robust financial controls together with strong server, IT, and email monitoring processes aren’t enough if staff aren’t savvy to the psychological tricks scammers use to manipulate people, making them more vulnerable to tricker and deception.

Traditional payment fraud has been rife for some time, where the cybercriminal impersonates the CEO, or other senior member of staff, to convince the finance department to make an urgent payment to either a new supplier or update their bank details.

The social and economic impact of COVID-19 has led to a marked increase in opportunistic crimes of desperation, particularly in digital payments fraud as consumers flock to digital channels to replace or supplement in-person interactions.