These are among the findings in the TransUnion H1 2026 Update: Top Fraud Trends report, which draws insights from its global intelligence network to track how fraud patterns are shifting across markets and digital channels.
“Botswana has not experienced widespread fraud, but the nature of fraud risk is beginning to shift,” said Amritha Reddy, senior director of fraud product management at TransUnion Africa. “As digital services become more formal and widely trusted, fraudsters are increasingly targeting these environments. This is a natural stage of digital growth and highlights the need to strengthen protections as confidence in digital services expand.”
Digital Fraud Risk is Highest at Account Creation in Botswana
Even when overall suspected fraud rates appear lower compared to 2024, risk can remain elevated at specific points in the digital consumer lifecycle, particularly where criminals attempt to create or manipulate identities. In Botswana, the highest rate of suspected digital fraud in 2025 across the consumer lifecycle occurred at account creation (2.6 percent), followed by account login (0.8 percent) and during financial transactions (0.5 percent).
Botswana’s fraud profile reflects an early- to midstage digital market where onboarding and account creation remain the primary points of exposure. This mirrors broader global and Africawide trends in markets where digital identity systems are still evolving.
“Experience from other countries shows that this phase does not last indefinitely,” Reddy explained. “As consumers build longer-term digital relationships with banks, retailers and service providers, fraud risk tends to move beyond onboarding toward login and account access, often through impersonation or credentials misuse.
“The key takeaway for Botswana is timing,” she added. “Strengthening onboarding and early-stage identity checks now can help prevent more complex fraud patterns emerging as digital adoption accelerates. Early safeguards can make a meaningful difference as the digital ecosystem matures.”
Retail Transactions Show the Highest Suspected Digital Fraud Risk Among Sectors Analysed
Across Africa, suspected digital fraud risk varies by industry, reflecting local user behaviour and where criminals see opportunity. For attempted transactions involving consumers in Botswana, retailrecorded the highest suspected digital fraud attempt rate in 2025 at 1.9 percent.
“Globally and across Africa, fraud often emerges as informal activity gives way to structured, trusted digital services,” Reddy said. “As Botswana continues its transition toward regulated digital ecosystems, it is following well-established international patterns. Embedding security early helps manage risk as adoption grows.”
Chart 2: Top Three Sectors Experiencing Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts from Botswana
Industry | Suspected Digital Fraud Attempt Rate 2025 | Change in Volume of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts from 2024 to 2025 |
Retail | 1.9% | -70% |
Gaming (online sports betting, poker, etc.) | 1.8% | -73% |
Financial services | 1.1% | -66% |
Source: TransUnion global intelligence network
What Consumers and Businesses Can Do
As fraud tactics evolve, consumers can help reduce their risk by safeguarding personal information, remaining cautious ofunsolicited calls and messages and regularly reviewing their credit information for suspicious activity.
For organisations, the findings reinforce that fraud strategies must extend beyond compliance to actively protect trust across the entireconsumer lifecycle, particularly at account creation and at pointswhere criminals attempt to exploit established relationships through scams and impersonation.
“Botswana has the advantage of foresight – the global fraud playbook is already written,” Reddy said. The opportunity now is to act before the next phase arrives.”
