ESET Warns South African Sports Fans and Shoppers of Rising Phishing Scams

• Cybersecurity firm ESET flagged a surge in online scams targeting South Africans during the Springbok rugby season
• Fraudsters are impersonating major courier companies via SMS, WhatsApp and email to steal credit card details
• ESET Cybersecurity Engineer Allan Juma warned that modern phishing messages are increasingly difficult to distinguish from official communications

SOUTH AFRICA — Cybersecurity firm ESET has raised the alarm over a significant rise in phishing scams targeting South African consumers, with criminals deliberately timing their campaigns to coincide with the Springbok rugby season and peak online shopping activity.

The warning comes as more fans turn to digital platforms to buy official merchandise, order food deliveries, and arrange home drop-offs on match days, creating high-volume online traffic that cybercriminals are actively exploiting.

Fake courier messages deceiving shoppers

Fraudsters are increasingly impersonating well-known logistics and courier companies, distributing fake delivery notifications through SMS, WhatsApp, and email. The scam has grown more sophisticated alongside the popularity of international shopping platforms such as Shein and Temu, with criminals sending counterfeit messages that request small outstanding customs or delivery fees.

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The low amounts requested are deliberate. By keeping figures believable, scammers reduce the likelihood that a recipient will question the message and instead prompt quick, unconsidered payments. Victims who click on embedded links are redirected to cloned payment portals that replicate the branding, logos, and transaction processes of legitimate companies, solely to harvest credit card information for card-not-present fraud.

How to spot and avoid these scams

ESET Cybersecurity Engineer Allan Juma cautioned that phishing messages have become considerably more polished, with minimal spelling mistakes and language that closely mirrors authentic corporate correspondence, making them harder to detect at a glance.

Experts advise consumers to inspect web addresses carefully before submitting any financial information, specifically looking for unusual characters, altered domain names, or missing security indicators. Rather than clicking links in unsolicited messages, consumers should verify parcel statuses directly through official courier apps or retail websites.

Juma stressed that heightened awareness during peak shopping periods, combined with deliberate verification habits, remains the most reliable defence against digital financial theft.

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More on SA crime and safety concerns

• Briefly News recently reported on footage showing Johannesburg police officers walking away from an active robbery, leaving South Africans questioning whether the country has functioning law enforcement.
• Nothabo Khumalo's family launched a GoFundMe to bring her home after she and her two daughters were killed in a triple murder in the UK.
• Four Pakistani nationals who owned spaza shops in Tembisa were killed in an apparent ambush in Kempton Park, with police still searching for suspects.

Source: Briefly News