DIGITAL DECEIT
As technology continues to make life easier, a silent pandemic is spreading across Botswana, not of illness, but of deception.
Online fraud has become one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country, leaving thousands of Batswana poorer, confused, and ashamed after falling for scams that appear genuine at first glance.
So serious is the situation that the government, through the Ministry of Communications and Innovation, and other stakeholders, has dedicated the month of October to raising awareness on cyberattacks and their impact on families.
Head of Revenue Assurance and Fraud Manager at Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), Isaac Kajane, says the main reason scammers succeed is that some Batswana are unknowingly helping criminals by enabling identity theft during SIM card registration.
Kajane explained that scammers, who are often foreigners who enter the country through ungazetted routes, cannot present valid identification to local network operators.
To get around this, they offer money to locals to register SIM cards on their behalf using their national identity cards.
“In most cases, desperate Batswana are paid around P200 for the service, thinking it is a small favour,” Kajane said.
But they do not realise that any transactions or criminal activities done using that number will be traced back to the person who registered the SIM card.
He said this is why, when the police track down the number linked to fraud, they often find innocent Batswana who know nothing about the crime and who cannot even identify the real culprits. This makes investigations extremely difficult.
“If you are among those who have registered SIM cards for strangers, please go to the nearest network provider and disconnect those lines before fraud is committed,” Kajane pleaded.
He added that this growing trend is what pushed the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) to tighten its Know Your Customer (KYC) policy last year. Those who failed to comply were disconnected.
“That is why more than 300,000 SIM cards were disconnected last year,” he explained.
Kajane warned that Batswana must learn to be vigilant, as most scams begin with something as simple as talking to strangers online.
Fraudsters start by building trust, chatting for days or weeks, and then later use the information shared to confidently defraud victims.
“They make sure they know your details, such as your name, ID number, or where you work, just to convince you that they are legitimate. Then they strike,” he said.
He added that the rate at which Batswana are losing money online is alarming, and many victims willingly transfer their money to strangers after being manipulated.
Perhaps the biggest reminder of how devastating online scams can be is the infamous Ecoplexus case, in which Batswana collectively lost close to P200 million in what appeared to be a promising online investment scheme.
To this day, there is no guarantee that victims will ever recover their money. None of them can clearly identify the people behind the scam. The police have since arrested Chinese national Jiajin Weng, whose case is still before the Broadhurst Magistrate Court.
Through his lawyer, Jeremiah Mishingo, Weng has maintained his innocence and is pushing to have the case thrown out of court, arguing that the charges do not make sense and that he does not even know what Ecoplexus is.
Cybercrime and Digital Forensics expert, Douglas Sekgweng, shared that scammers are constantly inventing new ways to steal from unsuspecting people.
One of the most common tricks, he said, is the “mistaken money transfer” scam.
“Fraudsters send messages that look exactly like those from banks or network providers, claiming they mistakenly sent you money.
The fake message mimics a transaction alert, so if you are not careful, you will believe it and send back your own money, only to realise later that no deposit was ever made.”
Sekgweng said these scams prey on trust and confusion, exploiting people’s lack of attention to detail and the speed at which digital transactions occur.
Another common scheme, he added, involves fake online shops targeting Batswana who admire imported goods or want to buy cheaply abroad.
“Many of those online stores are completely fake. They rush to demand payment, then disappear with people’s money,” Sekgweng warned.
He also noted a worrying rise in romance scams, where fake promises lure women who are often desperate for love or financial security.
“They are told money or gifts will be sent to them, but there’s always a catch; they are asked to pay a small ‘clearance fee’ or ‘customs charge’ to release the gift, and once they do, the scammer disappears,” he said.
Sekgweng said Botswana’s rapid digital growth has made it fertile ground for fraudsters. With more people now shopping, dating, and investing online, scammers have found a new hunting ground, one that does not require guns or masks, only a convincing story and a smartphone.
Kajane and Sekgweng both urge Batswana to treat the internet with the same caution as they would a dark alley; they warned that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.