🇿🇦 English, 7 October 2026, social engineering
WhatsApp Account Takeovers and AI Voice Cloning Drive Social Engineering Losses in South Africa
South Africa's R2.4 billion loss to digital banking crime in 2025 was largely due to social engineering tactics, including WhatsApp account takeovers and AI voice cloning.
Criminals can take over a WhatsApp account by persuading its owner to share the six-digit registration code, allowing them to message the contact list and inherit trust.
The losses show that cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the human element, targeting trust, urgency, and emotion to manipulate individuals and organisations.
To prevent such attacks, experts advise verifying requests through a trusted channel, enabling two-step verification, and setting a family rule to confirm emergency requests.