ADVERTISEMENT
TechEconomy
Friday, June 6, 2025
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Tech
    • DisruptiveTECH
    • ConsumerTech
      • Accessories
      • Phones
      • Laptop
      • Gadgets and Appliances
      • Apps
    • How To
    • TechTAINMENT
  • Business
    • Telecoms
      • Broadband
    • Mobility
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Commerce
    • StartUPs
    • TE Insights
    • Security
  • Partners
  • Economy
    • Finance
    • Fintech
    • Digital Assets
    • Personal Finance
    • Insurance
  • Features
    • IndustryINFLUENCERS
    • Guest Writer
    • Appointment
    • EventDIARY
    • Editorial
  • Apply
  • TecheconomyTV
  • Techeconomy Events
  • BusinesSENSE For SMEs
  • TBS
  • News
  • Tech
    • DisruptiveTECH
    • ConsumerTech
      • Accessories
      • Phones
      • Laptop
      • Gadgets and Appliances
      • Apps
    • How To
    • TechTAINMENT
  • Business
    • Telecoms
      • Broadband
    • Mobility
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Commerce
    • StartUPs
    • TE Insights
    • Security
  • Partners
  • Economy
    • Finance
    • Fintech
    • Digital Assets
    • Personal Finance
    • Insurance
  • Features
    • IndustryINFLUENCERS
    • Guest Writer
    • Appointment
    • EventDIARY
    • Editorial
  • Apply
  • TecheconomyTV
  • Techeconomy Events
  • BusinesSENSE For SMEs
  • TBS
No Result
View All Result
Tech | Business | Economy
No Result
View All Result
Podcast

Home » SSA: Digital ID Related Fraudulent Activities Peak at 11pm GMT – Report

SSA: Digital ID Related Fraudulent Activities Peak at 11pm GMT – Report

…New Smile ID report reveals Gen AI is Fueling a New Wave of Fraud in Africa

Staff Writer by Staff Writer
January 29, 2025
in Security
0
Africa Digital Identity Fraud
Digital Identity Fraud (Image: Google)

Digital Identity Fraud (Image: Google)

RelatedPosts

Why Nigeria Must Embrace AI-Powered Cybersecurity Now

Why Nigeria Must Embrace AI-Powered Cybersecurity Now

June 5, 2025

Sophos Updates its Firewall Software to Enhance Protection, Incident Response Capabilities

June 5, 2025

Report has revealed that, across all African regions, digital identity fraudulent activities concentrated between 7 PM (Greenwich Mean Time) – about 8 PM WAT (West African Time) – and 3 AM GMT, peaking at 11 PM GMT.

This finding was published by identity verification solutions provider, Smile ID, in its 2025 Digital Identity Fraud in Africa Report, highlighting critical fraud trends across the continent.

The report uncovers sophisticated fraud tactics exploiting vulnerabilities in fintech platforms and digital ecosystems, accelerated by emerging technologies such as Generative AI, deepfakes, and insider-assisted schemes.

The report also offers clear, actionable strategies to help business leaders protect trust, revenue, and maintain operational stability in 2025.

Drawing on anonymised data from over 110 million identity verification checks conducted by Smile ID across Central, East, West, and Southern Africa in 2024, the report highlights ongoing challenges and opportunities.

The widespread adoption of biometric verification over traditional textual methods has significantly strengthened fraud prevention, driving the overall fraud rate during KYC checks down to 25% in 2024 (a 4-percentage-point decrease).

However, this year-over-year progress has prompted fraudsters to develop more sophisticated attack methods targeting biometric systems, resulting in millions of dollars in fraud losses across key African markets.

Smile ID continues to tackle unique threats African businesses face when onboarding users, such as identity farming, insider-assisted account takeovers, and advanced document forgeries.

The report revealed significant regional variations in fraud methods across Africa. East Africa led in document fraud cases, reporting the highest combined rejection rate at 27% in 2024, driven by the region’s reliance on documents. West Africa emerged as the epicentre of biometric fraud, showing the highest incidents of spoofing and face-match inconsistencies, with notable vulnerability to AI-powered fraud attempts. Central Africa maintained a rejection rate of 22% [up by 3%], while Southern Africa saw rates rise from 9% to 21%, primarily attributed to fraud attempts involving the retiring green book.

Analysis of fraud attempt timing revealed critical patterns:

  • Authentication attempts showed four times higher fraud rates compared to registration, indicating a significant rise in account takeover risks.
  • Across all African regions, fraudulent activities concentrated between 7 PM and 3 AM GMT, peaking at 11 PM GMT.

Speaking on the report, Mark Straub, CEO of Smile ID, said:

“The future of fraud prevention lies in adaptability. While AI provides fraudsters with powerful new tools, it also helps security practitioners harness global intelligence to counter zero-day attacks and automate processes that were once manual.”

Fintech platforms with weak KYC protocols remain the most vulnerable, as these bad actors use identity farming to create fraudulent accounts that conceal the origins of illicit funds.

Tackling these vulnerabilities requires collaboration between industries, governments, and technology providers to create a safer digital ecosystem.”

The report’s launch builds on the recent introduction of Enhanced SmartSelfie, an advanced biometric verification technology built to withstand advanced fraud attempts, including deepfakes, AI-generated faces, and replay videos. If paired with a unified approach, African businesses can secure their operations, build trust, and drive economic growth.

Founded in 2017, Smile ID has revolutionised identity verification in Africa, completing over 200 million verification checks by November 2024.

As the continent’s leading provider of digital identity verification, fraud detection, and KYC compliance solutions, the company delivers scalable, Africa-focused tools optimised for real-time onboarding, anti-fraud measures, and AI-driven identity verification.

Backed by investors like Costanoa Ventures and CRE Venture Capital, the company catalyses Africa’s digital economy by enabling businesses, governments, and individuals to build trust in underserved markets.

The full 2025 Digital Identity Fraud in Africa report can be downloaded for free here.

Loading

Advertisements
MTN ADS

0Shares
Tags: Costanoa VenturesCRE Venture CapitalDigital Identity Fraud
Previous Post

Trends Shaping Business Communications

Next Post

PMI Drives Digital Transformation at Tech Revolution Africa 2025

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Related Posts

Why Nigeria Must Embrace AI-Powered Cybersecurity Now
Security

Why Nigeria Must Embrace AI-Powered Cybersecurity Now

by Techeconomy
June 5, 2025
0

As someone who recently analyzed TSAN’s performance on industry-standard datasets like NSL-KDD, I found that it consistently outperformed older detection...

Read more
Sophos Launches New XGS Series of Desktop Firewalls

Sophos Updates its Firewall Software to Enhance Protection, Incident Response Capabilities

June 5, 2025
Aminu Maida and Judiciary | Cybersecurity Framework

NCC Unveils Cybersecurity Framework to Strengthen Nigeria’s Digital Space

June 5, 2025
Phishing, vishing, and smishing attacks

How to Spot Phishing, Vishing and Smishing

June 4, 2025
SMS Scams on the rise

SMS Scams Surge 73% | Data Finds Key Trends

June 2, 2025
IHS Nigeria and Tower sites security

IHS Nigeria Commissions 65 Patrol Vehicles to Enhance Telecoms Tower Site Security

June 2, 2025
Next Post
George Asamani, Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, PMI | Africa’s workforce

PMI Drives Digital Transformation at Tech Revolution Africa 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Techeconomy Podcast

Techeconomy Podcast
Techeconomy Podcast

Infowave is brought to you by TechEconomy. Every week we will bring new stories from startups and influencers who are shaping and changing the world we live in. We’ll also bring you reports on topics you should know.

Follow us @techeconomyng for more.

TECH TALK EPISODE 2
byTecheconomy

PRODUCTIVITY AND WORK-Life Balance

TECH TALK EPISODE 2
TECH TALK EPISODE 2
May 22, 2025
Techeconomy
CYBERSECURITY ESSENTIALS
April 24, 2025
Techeconomy
Digital Marketing Trends and strategies for 2025 and beyond
February 27, 2025
Techeconomy
Major Lesson for Techies in 2024 and Projections for 2025
December 6, 2024
Techeconomy
Major Lessons for Techies in an AI-Driven World | Techeconomy Business Series Highlights
November 26, 2024
Techeconomy
Maximizing Profitability Through Seasonal Sales: Strategies For Success
November 8, 2024
Techeconomy
Techeconomy Business Series
October 15, 2024
Techeconomy
PRIVACY IN THE ERA OF AI: GETTING YOUR BUSINESS READY
May 30, 2024
Techeconomy
Unravel the Secrets of Marketing Everywhere All At Once with Isaac Akanni from Infobip | Infowave Podcast Episode 1
February 9, 2024
Techeconomy
The Role of Ed-tech in Life Long Learning and Continuous Education
October 19, 2023
Techeconomy
Search Results placeholder

WHAT IS TRENDING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_MCUwS2woc&list=PL6bbK-xx1KbIgX-IzYdqISXq1pUsuA4dz

Follow Us

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy

© 2025 Techeconomy - Designed by Opimedia.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Tech
    • DisruptiveTECH
    • ConsumerTech
      • Accessories
      • Phones
      • Laptop
      • Gadgets and Appliances
      • Apps
    • How To
    • TechTAINMENT
  • Business
    • Telecoms
      • Broadband
    • Mobility
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Commerce
    • StartUPs
    • TE Insights
    • Security
  • Partners
  • Economy
    • Finance
    • Fintech
    • Digital Assets
    • Personal Finance
    • Insurance
  • Features
    • IndustryINFLUENCERS
    • Guest Writer
    • Appointment
    • EventDIARY
    • Editorial
  • Apply
  • TecheconomyTV
  • Techeconomy Events
  • BusinesSENSE For SMEs
  • TBS

© 2025 Techeconomy - Designed by Opimedia.

Translate »
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.