Reporting a scam in South Africa

First hour, in order

Call your bank. Call your bank's fraud line immediately; most South African banks run 24-hour lines.
Stop paying. No fee, tax or "release payment" ever unlocks money that does not exist.
Screenshot everything before you delete an app, block a number or close an account.
Then report using the routes below. Reporting is slower than the bank call, and less urgent — but it is what produces enforcement.

Report fraud to the South African Police Service at your nearest station, and register with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service if your identity documents have been used.

Where to report

South African Police Service

Open the reporting page

Also worth using

Southern African Fraud Prevention Service — 011 867 2234
Register a protective listing if your identity has been used.
Financial Sector Conduct Authority
Check whether a financial services provider is authorised.
National Consumer Commission
Consumer complaints.

If your identity was used

SAFPS Protective Registration is the route for identity misuse: new accounts opened in your name, credit taken out, documents copied.

What not to do

Do not pay anyone to recover your money. No legitimate service charges an up-front fee to get stolen funds back, and people who have just been scammed are the primary market for recovery scams.
Do not use contact details the scammer gave you — not the phone number, not the "support" chat, not a link in a message. Look the agency up yourself.
Do not delete the evidence. Apps, chats, wallet addresses and transaction IDs are what make a report actionable.
Do not send one more payment. This is where most of the largest losses happen.

Sources

Agency names, URLs and phone numbers were checked on 2026-09-06. Government contact details do change — if something here is wrong, please tell us.

South African Police Service. SAPS. Accessed 2026-09-06.
Southern African Fraud Prevention Service. SAFPS. Accessed 2026-09-06.