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A new report by global information and insights company, TransUnion, has revealed that Zambian consumers continue to face a growing wave of digital fraud attempts, with retail platforms recording the highest suspected attempted fraud rates in the country.
According to TransUnion’s latest State of Omnichannel Fraud Report – First Half 2025 Update, 79 percent of Zambian consumers surveyed between 21 November and 11 December 2024 said they had been targeted by fraudsters via email, online platforms, phone calls, or text messages in the preceding three months.
Of these, nine percent admitted they had fallen victim during that period.
The report highlights the most common tactics used by cybercriminals. Smishing — fraudulent text messages designed to trick recipients into revealing personal information — topped the list at 35 percent.
This was followed by phishing (32 percent), where fraudulent emails, websites, social media posts or QR codes are used to steal data; vishing (26 percent), involving deceptive phone calls; and social engineering scams (26 percent), in which victims are persuaded to divulge sensitive details.
Commenting on the report, Amritha Reddy, Senior Director of Fraud Solutions at TransUnion Africa said: “Zambians use mobile phones to conduct everyday business, connect with friends, and transfer money, so it’s easy to understand why smishing has become a favoured tactic among fraudsters in this region.
“Cybercriminals will attack through any channel, but they tend to focus on those most popular within the regions they target.”
In a related finding, over one-third (36 percent) of respondents reported losing money to digital fraud in the past year.
The majority of financial losses stemmed from third-party seller scams on legitimate retail websites, followed by money mule schemes (24 percent) — in which individuals are recruited to transfer illegally acquired funds — and social engineering scams (19 percent).
Interestingly, 21 percent of Zambian respondents said they were not aware of being targeted by digital fraud, a figure the report suggests may indicate a lack of awareness about the risks or the often-subtle nature of these schemes.
When compared to other African countries surveyed, Zambia recorded the lowest percentage of consumers who admitted to falling victim to digital fraud in the second half of 2024.
In contrast, South Africa reported the highest rate of victimisation on the continent.
The findings underscore the importance of ongoing consumer education and robust digital security measures as fraud tactics continue to evolve.
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