---
title: "Watch — Is your money really safe? South Africa’s invisible crime wave"
description: "South Africa’s latest crime statistics suggest a country getting safer, but that’s only part of the story. Commercial crime – fraud, scams, and financial exploitation – is rising, with cases doubling over the past decade. It’s a quieter crime, but one that targets ordinary South Africans directly, often through the very systems they rely on. Why has this surge escaped national attention? And what happens when victims try to fight back? Rebecca Davis, senior journalist at Daily Maverick, reports."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "VIDEO"
author: "Rebecca Davis"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/rebeccadavis-2-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-watch-is-your-money-really-safe-south-africas-invisible-crime-wave/"
published: "2026-04-29T22:13:57"
updated: "2026-04-30T06:09:13"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 36
---

# Watch — Is your money really safe? South Africa’s invisible crime wave

> South Africa’s latest crime statistics suggest a country getting safer, but that’s only part of the story. Commercial crime – fraud, scams, and financial exploitation – is rising, with cases doubling over the past decade. It’s a quieter crime, but one that targets ordinary South Africans directly, often through the very systems they rely on. Why has this surge escaped national attention? And what happens when victims try to fight back? Rebecca Davis, senior journalist at Daily Maverick, reports.

By Rebecca Davis · Published 30 April 2026, 00:13 SAST · Updated 30 April 2026, 08:09 SAST

## Content

[YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awM7KMd0Tc4)

Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade 
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme

Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a [Maverick Insider](https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick).[https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDNTYVp5ak5nek1nTVpWRjFJSFBnSm9ZM2JQQXxBQ3Jtc0trNXN5aW1oQkRYcE5CakpiUkRza1FvVzJ2eFBxNjZEcXpBVTdyWG9CX0dHT2VqQk92R2J1THowM1RnZjNyLW5CTi0zVk43NG1hLUJLSWZIU2lkY25paGpCcExKYTRUVmFZcFY3OEl4M1BQRlhtamRQYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2FSupportDailyMaverick&v=OhgfbQW1ZAs](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDNTYVp5ak5nek1nTVpWRjFJSFBnSm9ZM2JQQXxBQ3Jtc0trNXN5aW1oQkRYcE5CakpiUkRza1FvVzJ2eFBxNjZEcXpBVTdyWG9CX0dHT2VqQk92R2J1THowM1RnZjNyLW5CTi0zVk43NG1hLUJLSWZIU2lkY25paGpCcExKYTRUVmFZcFY3OEl4M1BQRlhtamRQYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2FSupportDailyMaverick&v=OhgfbQW1ZAs)**DM**