Identity fraud is on the increase in South Africa, with the latest fraud statistics recording a 400% surge in impersonation fraud from April 2023 to April 2024. Fraud statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) have also revealed that impersonation fraud increased by a staggering 356% from April 2022 to April 2023. The issue of identity fraud has come to the fore following the investigation into the citizenship of former Miss SA contestant Chidimma Adetshina. Home Affairs found prima facie reasons to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Adetshina’s mother. Home Affairs also noted that the alleged crime was done when Adetshina was still an infant and the innocent mother whose identity was stolen could not register her child. Manie van Schalkwyk, executive director of the SAFPS, said there were many means that criminals used to steal identities. “The simplest method, of course, is theft of the physical identity document, but more sophisticated modus operandi involve the use of social engineering techniques encouraging individuals to divulge their personal information, or cybercrime-related incidents where the individual’s devices may be compromised using sophisticated malware or spyware.” Van Schalkwyk said that 40% of incidents target the 25-45 age group, with the highest growth in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. “SAFPS is tasked with the responsibility of informing the public about fraud and creating awareness about the modus operandi related to the fraud while supporting consumers in implementing active preventive measures. “To achieve this, we recommend that consumers who have lost their identity documents, had their documents stolen, or who believe their personal information or identity may be compromised, register for a Protective Registration, at no cost to the consumer, to prevent themselves from falling victim to identity theft or suffer the pain of recurrence if they have already,” said Van Schalkwyk. Legal analyst Mpumelelo Zikalala described identity fraud where immigrants steal the identity of a country’s citizen as the harshest form of fraud. “I think that is the worst one because inherently you have killed that person because they are not known to exist. If they cannot get a birth certificate, it means they cannot even go to school, they cannot get social grants, or even open a bank account.” He said Home Affairs employees have a huge role to play. “This type of fraud needs to be closely looked at because the person who allows it is an employee of Home Affairs, because someone who is not employed there does not know how the system works,” said Zikalala. He added that Home Affairs employees should regularly audit approved applications to identify fraudulent identities, adding that they should visit individuals at their homes to verify their identities. “Then those who are found to have committed identity theft must be arrested and prosecuted to show how serious this issue is. I would have expected that in the issue of Adetshina’s mother, by now some people would have been arrested. It does not take rocket science to do that, just to go back and check when the application was approved and who approved it, because it is there on the records,” he said. Zikalala said that there were many ways identity fraud could be perpetrated, and it impacts the lives of victims severely. “Once your identity has been stolen, there are a number of things you can no longer engage in. For example, you cannot get access to credit, you cannot get employment, your name may be ruined and the worst-case scenario may be that you get a criminal record. “So your right to dignity, right to privacy, right to engage in free trade, just to name a few, are compromised.” He said there were many gaps in our legal system that leave people vulnerable to identity fraud. Credit agents and service providers were able to give people access to verify your identity and find out who you are. He said the law requires credit agreements to include a verification step to prevent fraud. “There are still loopholes, but they can be fixed where in instances it has been found that fraud has been committed, then that particular entity that granted the fraud has to clear your name and compensate you for any damages that have been suffered. I think when they see that they are getting punished financially, they will not be reckless in granting credits,” said Zikalala.