Author: Chris Anu
TUT has warned of a spike in fraud and scam attempts targeting students and parents. As thousands of newly-qualified matriculants begin navigating university applications and registration process, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has raised the alarm over a sharp increase in fraud and scam activity aimed at exploiting students.TUT says the January to February registration window consistently attracts both online and in-person scams, with fraudsters exploiting anxiety around late applications, accommodation shortages and admission outcomes.“Every year the university sees a spike in fraud and scam complaints submitted via the ethics hotline,” says Dr Emily Mabote, acting deputy vice-chancellor for…
Visa is working to integrate stablecoins into existing payment systems, seeing an opportunity to maintain its market leadership as these tokens gain traction, Visa’s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield, said in an interview. Stablecoins, cryptocurrencies typically pegged to the US dollar, allow funds to be moved outside traditional banking systems. While their circulation has surged, led by El Salvador-based Tether’s USDT with around US$187-billion tokens in circulation, mainstream merchant acceptance remains limited. Even if new payments systems are built using the technology behind stablecoins, “you still have to come back and connect to the existing merchant acceptance ecosystem if you…
A former IT operator is accused of exploiting bank systems, causing Standard Bank losses exceeding R1.9 million. A former IT operator at Standard Bank has been released on bail after appearing in court on fraud and theft charges linked to alleged internal system abuse.According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), Vivian Brink, 60, was brought before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, a day after his arrest. Prosecutors allege that during his employment at the bank, Brink improperly altered digital account settings to benefit himself financially.“The alleged misconduct took place over nearly four years, from January 2014 to November…
Iran’s crackdown on dissidents is shaping up as one of the toughest security tests yet for Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has served as a lifeline against state-imposed internet blackouts since its deployment during the war in Ukraine. SpaceX, which owns Starlink, made the satellite service free for Iranians earlier this week, placing Musk’s space company at the centre of another geopolitical hotspot and pitting a team of US-based engineers against a regional power armed with satellite jammers and signal-spoofing tactics, according to activists, analysts and researchers. How SpaceX withstands Iranian attacks on its most lucrative line of business is expected…
Richard Ford, group CTO, Integrity360. AI-driven identity fraud is not a futuristic sci-fi plot – it is a current risk management issue that belongs in mainstream compliance discussions alongside POPIA and FICA, says Richard Ford, group CTO at Integrity360.Ford says fraud is no longer just about financial theft; it’s about identity theft in the most visceral sense.“Emergency scams are not new. Criminals have phoned victims for decades, usually targeting older individuals, pretending to be a grandchild in trouble. They rely on fear and urgency to bypass critical thinking. The difference now is realism. Scammers no longer need to be vague.…
MTN SA Foundation donates digital devices to schools in under-resourced communities. MTN South Africa, through the MTN SA Foundation, has provided digital devices to selected schools nationwide as part of the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) Back-to-School Campaign, aimed at improving access to digital learning.The devices are being provided to schools as support for e-learning and access to digital education resources. The initiative coincides with the beginning of the academic year and signals the launch of MTN’s education programmes for 2026.“Our commitment to education is not confined to moments of celebration – it is embedded in the start of every…
Wikipedia on Thursday unveiled partnerships with several big tech companies including Microsoft, Meta and Amazon, marking a major step up in the non-profit’s ability to monetise tech firms’ reliance on its content. Wikimedia Foundation, the operator of the online encyclopaedia, said it also signed on AI start-up Perplexity and France’s Mistral AI, among other firms, over the past year, having enlisted Meta and Amazon as partners previously. It already has an arrangement with Google, which was announced in 2022. Wikipedia’s 65 million articles are a key part of training data for generative AI chatbots Wikipedia content is crucial to training…
Land Bank confirms temporary unavailability of certain IT systems. The Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank) has announced a temporary disruption to certain internal IT systems.In a statement yesterday, the bank and its subsidiary Land Bank Insurance Company informed stakeholders and the public of the disruption, saying the matter is receiving the highest priority.The Land Bank has not divulged the nature of the disruption, only stating that it has taken the affected systems offline as a precautionary measure. The bank’s website was inaccessible on Friday morning. “Land Bank’s internal IT teams, supported by external specialists, are…
Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet A new report from Pnet shows that software development jobs are highly available but there is little competition for them among jobseekers. The difference between the number of software developers needed in the economy versus the number of qualified individuals applying for roles is so significant that there is relatively little competition for programming jobs. This is according to online recruitment platform Pnet’s Jobs Market Trends report for December 2025, released on Wednesday. Software developer returned to the top of the list of the most demanding jobs in South Africa “Our data shows…
Automation drives ecommerce gains in South Africa. South Africa’s e-commerce sector recorded strong growth in 2025, with order volumes across all channels increasing by 47% year-on-year (YOY), according to a new report by e-commerce marketing platform, Omnisend. The report is based on an analysis of nearly 3 000 South African e-commerce platforms, drawing on data from social commerce, online marketplaces, brand-owned websites, emails, SMS messages and push notifications sent in 2025. Despite a significant increase in online order volumes, the report found that the growth was unevenly distributed, with a small group of high-performing e-commerce brands capturing a disproportionate share…