by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG – THE security of mobile payments in South Africa has been enhanced after the country’s biggest telcoms operator sealed a partnership with an international cyber security company.

Vodacom and the French headquartered Dvina, respectively, announced the alliance to fight mobile fraud.

“The protection of our customers against all forms of fraudulent activity is our top priority,” assured Marian Cassim, Chief Officer of Vodacom Financial and Digital Services.

The executive said Vodacom was constantly striving to eradicate any potential mobile fraud on its network by updating and enhancing controls to give customers peace of mind while enjoying seamless connectivity through their mobile phones.

Introducing DCB protect and Eyewitness offered by Evina, is hailed as testament to these security efforts.

“We believe that early detection and blocking of any form of criminality on our network is in the interest of our customers and ultimately the Vodacom brand,” Cassim said.

The South African mobile industry has attracted a large number of fraudsters as significant populations use mobile phones as a payment method.

The fraud rate recorded by Evina’s fraud sensors was 23, 53 percent with click-jacking being the most fraudulent technique used to defraud mobile users in the first quarter of 2021.

South Africa is a haven in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region for new and extremely sophisticated fraud techniques.

David Lotfi, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Evina, said the company strived to work with mobile players that integrated anti-fraud solutions to their operations.

He said Vodacom, with over 44 million subscribers locally, shared these values as it aimed to create a fraud-free mobile payment ecosystem.

“This makes deploying the best technology worldwide, for the protection of South African mobile users, effortless,” Lofti said.

– CAJ News