Each year, South Africa experiences a rise in cybercrime during the festive season. Although most public warnings focus on consumers, the underlying tactics are the same ones that drive many of the costliest business fraud incidents. For organisations closing out the financial year, these seasonal patterns offer early insight into the risks that typically intensify in the first quarter.
Ameera Cassoojee, cybersecurity sales specialist at Cisco South Africa, said the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) has noted increased activity involving phishing, impersonation and other deception-led methods, while banks have highlighted scams featuring urgent payment requests, spoofed communication and fraudulent changes to banking details. “These tactics are consistent with those used in business email compromise, supplier impersonation and payment-diversion attacks.” Cassoojee said the festive period creates favourable conditions for criminal activity. “High transaction volumes, hybrid work arrangements, and reduced oversight make it easier for attackers to test narratives and behaviours that prompt action,” she said.
“During the holiday season, people tend to be less vigilant and more trusting, creating increased opportunities for criminals to exploit these behaviours. Cassoojee highlighted that Identity remains the country’s biggest cybersecurity challenge, with 38% of organisations identifying it as their top concern, yet only 7% have reached a mature level of identity readiness. “Meanwhile, many organisations continue to struggle to detect unusual or suspicious activity, even though identity behaviour analytics are critical for identifying anomalous requests and fraudulent payment activity,” she said.
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