Colossal Deepfake Surge in South Africa Leading to Trust Crisis

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Biometric Update reported that South Africa is witnessing a dramatic surge in deepfake fraud, with fintech and banking firms among the most vulnerable sectors, according to a TransUnion Africa executive. 

In a recent Johannesburg podcast appearance, Amritha Reddy, Senior Director of Fraud Product Management at TransUnion Africa, revealed the company had found deepfake incidents had increased by 1,200% over the past year. Deepfake voices, images, and videos can easily trick humans and are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality.

Reddy described the issue as a “trust crisis” and attributes the dramatic increase to expanding South African digital connectivity, with internet penetration now around 79%.

Fintech platforms and banks are particularly vulnerable due to SIM swap scams and operating as digital-first platforms. The insurance sector is also under threat from AI-driven scams, with fraudsters manipulating claims or falsifying medical records. Media outlets and government agencies have also been affected by voice impersonation and political disinformation in the evolving fraud landscape.

Reddy urged organizations to adopt layered defenses such as real-time anomaly detection, device fingerprinting, biometric authentication, liveness checks, and behavioral analytics while sharing threat intelligence.

The TransUnion Africa executive also called for greater digital literacy and regulatory updates to tackle the AI fraud crisis.