New criminal tactic targeting South Africans with banking apps on their phones
Criminals are increasingly kidnapping South Africans and forcing them to hand over money through the banking apps on their phones.
Security experts called these “express kidnappings”, which are incidents where victims are abducted during robberies or hijackings and then pressured or forced to unlock their phones, banking apps and accounts.
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said this form of kidnapping has become increasingly common in South Africa.
In many cases, the crime is opportunistic. Criminals spot a victim, seize the opportunity, and quickly move to drain available funds.
However, some victims are selected more deliberately based on the perception that they may have access to significant amounts of money.
“Depending on the group’s sophistication, this can range from a couple of thousand rand to millions,” the ISS noted. This tactic is part of a broader and deeply worrying rise in kidnapping-related crimes in South Africa.
Some experts have noted that many of these incidents occur during everyday activities such as commuting, shopping, or arriving home.
According to the latest South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics, nearly 4,800 kidnapping cases were reported nationally between October and December last year.
This works out to roughly 53 kidnappings a day, with Gauteng accounting for more than half of those incidents.
CrisisOnCall communication manager Ruan Vermaak said the figures reflect a serious and growing threat, with many different types of people being targeted.
He warned that criminals often focus on people who appear to have well-paying jobs, drive desirable vehicles, or follow predictable daily patterns.
While some kidnappings are carefully orchestrated for financial gain, others begin as robberies or hijackings and escalate once criminals realise they may be able to access a victim’s money.
Vermaak said many of these incidents happen in ordinary, everyday spaces where victims are vulnerable and distracted.
“They will kidnap them while they are actually stopped at the boom gate or at the security complex or even in the shopping mall parking area,” he said.
“This happens especially while they are packing the vehicle with groceries in the back. There were a few cases like this reported at various shopping centres across Gauteng.”
In some instances, once criminals have emptied the victim’s accounts, they simply abandon the person and steal the vehicle.
Part of a broader trend of rising digital banking fraud
This new tactic is part of the rise in smartphone theft and digital banking fraud. Banks and fraud experts have repeatedly warned that shopping malls are becoming prime hunting grounds for criminals.
This is because of the number of people and vehicles at malls or centres, and because victims often carry phones that provide direct access to sensitive personal and financial information.
The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) has also warned of an increase in criminals targeting smartphones to access banking apps and steal money from accounts.
The concern is echoed by the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO), which has reported a sharp jump in digital banking fraud complaints.
Cases surged by 73%, rising from 1,436 between January and May to 2,483 during the same period in 2025.
The NFO has also flagged growing risks involving virtual banking cards, after one victim reportedly lost R500,000.
Nerosha Maseti, Lead Ombud for Banking and Credit at the NFO, said virtual cards remain useful, but are not fraud-proof.
“Fraudsters can create virtual cards and then use the virtual card credentials to perform transactions once gaining access to a customer’s digital banking profile after customers have shared OTPs or approved authentication prompts,” she said.
