Major South African telecommunications operators, including MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, and Cell C, reported a collective loss of R198.9 million (approximately $12.5 million) due to subscription fraud during the 12 months ending April 2026. Data from the Communications Risk and Information Centre (COMRiC) indicates that fraud cases surged by 307 percent to 14,897, with criminals increasingly employing sophisticated methods, such as using authentic identity documents and bank statements to bypass verification processes. In response to the rising threat, industry players are moving toward a collective security model, sharing intelligence on syndicates to prevent fraudsters from migrating between networks. Beyond subscription fraud, operators also faced significant losses from SIM-swap attacks and are contending with heightened risks of ransomware.