79% of Zambians Targeted in Digital Fraud Surge
A new report by TransUnion has revealed that nearly 79% of Zambians were targeted by digital or phone-based fraud between August and December 2024, although only 9% fell victim during that period.
The data is part of the H1 2025 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud Report, based on a survey conducted from 21 November to 11 December 2024.
According to the findings, the most common fraud tactics included smishing (fraudulent SMS scams, 35%), phishing (fake emails or websites, 32%), vishing (fraudulent calls, 26%), and social engineering scams (26%).
“Zambians use mobile phones for daily business and transactions, making them a primary target for fraudsters using SMS and voice-based schemes,” said Amritha Reddy, Senior Director of Fraud Solutions at TransUnion Africa.
The report also revealed that 36% of Zambians surveyed admitted to losing money to fraud in the past year. Of those, 27% lost funds to third-party seller scams on legitimate retail platforms, followed by 24% in money mule schemes, and 19% to social engineering scams.
Despite the high targeting rate, Zambia had the lowest percentage of fraud victims among surveyed African nations. South Africa topped the list with the highest percentage of consumers reporting victimization.
In 2024, retail experienced the highest suspected digital fraud attempt rate in Zambia at 6.8%, up 15.4% from 2023. The insurance sector saw the largest year-over-year increase, skyrocketing 311.1%. Other affected sectors included logistics (5.4%) and financial services (4.6%).
Globally, the most targeted industries were online communities (12%), video gaming (11%), and retail (8%). Zambia followed this trend, with fraudsters using trusted platforms to execute scams.
TransUnion reported that the median amount lost by fraud victims in Zambia was ZK6,479, significantly lower than the global median of ZK48,787. Nevertheless, the economic and emotional toll remains significant.
“While it’s encouraging that Zambia shows lower victimization rates, the sheer volume of attempts is a call to action for greater consumer awareness and stronger fraud prevention measures,” said Reddy.
The findings draw from TransUnion’s TruValidate™ data and span insights from 18 countries, including Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, and South Africa.
