RCS and TymeBank are sounding the alarm over a sharp rise in online harm, warning that digital violence against women and AI-driven scams are becoming major risks for public safety and economic stability.
The warnings come during International Fraud Awareness Week (16-22 November) and ahead of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November-10 December).
RCS, the consumer finance company, says digital violence against women is intensifying, driven by generative AI, deepfakes and identity manipulation tools. According to RCS, its latest Violence Survey – developed in partnership with BNP Paribas and the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative – shows 53% of South African women experienced some form of gender-based violence in the past year.
According to Tali Anderssen, legal and compliance executive at RCS: “Online abuse rarely stays online. It inflicts real-world harm on a victim’s mental health, career and overall sense of safety.”
Anderssen says the misuse of technology is expanding perpetrators’ reach. “Digital platforms must be a space for empowerment, not exploitation.” She urges employers, educators and platforms to take shared responsibility for abuse prevention.
TymeBank last week issued an alert warning of a surge in AI-driven social engineering such as vishing, phishing and smishing. The bank says fraudsters are using AI to generate convincing messages, cloned voices, fake adverts and imitation banking websites.
These scams are becoming widespread and lucrative, notes Bonolo Sebolai, head of fraud at TymeBank. “Fake or fraudulent ads now account for as much as 10% of revenue on major social media platforms like Facebook.”
Sebolai adds that AI is lowering the barrier for criminals to produce sophisticated content. “AI tools can be used by anyone with an internet connection and is relatively technology literate. As this technology evolves, so will the bad actors who use it to engineer their desired outcome.”
TymeBank further warns that AI is also being used to recruit “money mules” by creating false job offers or fake recruitment platforms. “Money mules fuel everything from social engineering scams to organised crime. Even if you ‘just receive money for someone’, you can face account closure, blacklisting and even criminal charges,” says Sebolai.
Both organisations urge the public to verify information before acting, avoid clicking on unsolicited links, secure privacy settings and use strong authentication methods.
RCS argues that workplaces, financial institutions, technology companies and social media platforms must strengthen user protection through better system design, faster takedown processes and clearer reporting channels. “The responsibility shouldn’t fall on victims to clean up the mess,” says Anderssen.
Victims of online abuse can report cases to the South African Police Service on 0860 010 111 or via Cybercrime.org.za.
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