Fraudsters utilize digital and physical tactics to target global consumers

Fraudsters are employing a diverse range of tactics, from advanced digital attacks to traditional physical mail scams, to target consumers globally.

In Kenya, a TransUnion report indicates that 2.3% of transaction attempts involving Kenyan consumers in 2025 were suspected of digital fraud. Common methods include smishing (deceptive SMS), imposter fraud, social engineering, and fraudulent investment schemes. Safaricom fraud expert Bernard Njuguna advises consumers to pause and verify information, use unique passwords, and implement two-factor authentication to mitigate risks.

Simultaneously, old-school physical scams are seeing a resurgence in Europe. In countries such as Portugal, France, and Germany, criminals are mailing fake credit cards and deceptive letters to residential mailboxes. These letters often claim a recipient's card is expiring and instruct them to use a QR code or URL to activate a replacement. These fraudulent cards can even feature real customer names to build trust. The use of generative AI has lowered the cost of producing these personalized fake cards, making the tactic increasingly effective for harvesting banking credentials via fake websites.