MBABANE – EmaSwati have lost over E6.2 million to fraudsters as the notorious ‘bofacata’ syndicates adopted a new tactic of posing as bank employees to trick customers into divulging confidential banking information.
Statistics released by the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) show that between April 2025 and March 2026, a total of 605 fraud-related cases involving E6 272 075.30 were reported countrywide.
The figures were released following questions from the Times of Eswatini after the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) recently warned members of the public about fraudsters impersonating bank officials.
Head of Fraud and Commercial Crimes Nicholas Jele said police had identified a new trend in which criminals telephone unsuspecting members of the public pretending to be employees of commercial banks.
The callers inform victims that suspicious transactions have been detected on their accounts or that their accounts have been hacked.
The fraudsters then claim they are assisting customers to secure their accounts.
“In the process, they ask for confidential information such as card details, PINs, passwords and one-time passwords,” said Jele.
Police statistics show that 11 such cases were reported during the period under review.
Fortunately, none of the reported incidents were successful.
However, Jele warned that the emergence of the scam demonstrated how fraudsters continued to evolve and adapt their methods.
“This is a new trend that we have identified. Members of the public must understand that banks do not ask customers for PINs, passwords or one-time passwords over the telephone,” he said.
The latest figures come as authorities continue to battle the notorious ‘facata’ scam, which has plagued the country for years.
For many years, fraudsters relied on a relatively simple method.
Victims would receive a message suggesting that money had mistakenly been transferred into their mobile money wallet or bank account.
Shortly afterwards, they would receive a telephone call from a person claiming to be the sender.
The caller would explain that the money had been sent by mistake and ask for it to be returned.
Believing the transaction to be genuine, many victims transferred money to the fraudster.
Only later would they discover that no money had actually been deposited into their account.
Police say the scam became so widespread that the term ‘facata’ eventually became part of everyday language.
Over time, criminals refined their methods.
Instead of relying solely on text messages, they began using telephone calls and social media platforms.
Investigators also encountered cases where fraudsters impersonated government officials, police officers and representatives of various organisations in order to gain the trust of victims.
Rather than pretending to be ordinary members of the public, they are exploiting the trust that people place in financial institutions.
The latest development comes shortly after ESCCOM warned consumers about fraudsters using voice and video calls to impersonate bank officials and other trusted authorities.
The commission advised members of the public to remain vigilant and avoid sharing confidential information.
The warning appears to have come at an important time.
Although the 11 reported bank impersonation cases were unsuccessful, police believe the emergence of the scam demonstrates that fraudsters are continuously searching for new opportunities.
Jele said criminals often changed tactics whenever public awareness campaigns began affecting their success rate.
“The more people become aware of one scam, the more criminals try to develop another one,” he said.
Investigators believe technology is making the work of fraudsters easier.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
REPS Fraud Unit’s Nicholas Jele says police have identified a new trend in which criminals telephone unsuspecting members of the public pretending to be employees of commercial banks. (File pic)