More Than Four-Fifths of Kenyans Said They Were Recently Targeted With Fraud

• 82% of Kenyans reported they were targeted by email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud from August to December 2024 but did not become a victim
• Smishing, phishing and vishing were the most frequently cited methods consumers said fraudsters used to trick them
• In 2024, gaming had the highest suspected digital fraud attempt rate in Kenya, a change from 2023 when logistics transactions were the most targeted

Eighty-two percent of Kenyans TransUnion surveyed from 21 November to 9 December 2024 indicated that they had been targeted by email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud in the last three months with 11% saying that they had become victims. Among those who said they were targeted, the most common reported schemes were smishing where fraudulent text messages try to trick users into sharing personal data (39%), phishing where fraudulent emails, websites, social posts or QR codes are meant to steal personal data (36%), and vishing, where fraudulent phone callers try to induce the user into sharing data (33%).

In a separate question in the same survey, nearly half (45%) said that they lost money to email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud in the last year. More than one third (34%) of those who said they lost money reported it happening via third-party seller scams on legitimate online retail websites. This was followed by 26% of Kenyans losing money via unemployment fraud and 25% losing money from account takeovers.

These and other findings came from research used for building the newly released TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) H1 2025 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud Report, which shows how Kenyan consumers continue to be targeted by fraudsters through a wide range of channels.

“Kenya has a 133.7% mobile phone penetration rate, with people using mobile phones to conduct their everyday business, connect with friends, or keep in touch with family, so it’s easy to understand why digital fraud would be such a common tactic among fraudsters targeting this region,” said Amritha Reddy, senior director of fraud solutions at TransUnion Africa. "While cybercriminals will attack at any time using any channel, they appear to focus on channels most popular in the regions they are targeting.”

Nineteen percent of Kenyan respondents indicated that they were not aware of being targeted by email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud at all, which raises questions as to whether these respondents were in fact targeted, yet simply unaware of the threat.

Based on the TransUnion study, Kenya tied Namibia with having the second highest percentage of respondents who said they fell victim to email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud in the second half of 2024 among countries surveyed in Africa. In contrast, Zambia had the lowest percentage of consumers who said they fell victim to fraud in the countries surveyed across the continent.

Table 1: Fraud Types Most Frequently Used to Target Consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Last Three Months

   Source: TransUnion Consumer Pulse Survey of 500 people in Kenya in December 2024

Communities and Video Gaming Among Top Industries Targeted by Suspected Digital Fraud

Globally, TransUnion determined communities (online forums and dating sites) experienced the highest rate of suspected digital fraud^[1] attempts in 2024. Nearly 12% of all attempted transactions within communities were suspected to be digital fraud last year. This is closely followed by video gaming (11%), with gaming (including online betting, poker, etc.) at 8% and retail (8%) rounding out the top four.

The logistics industry, which has seen growth in shipping fraud (often perpetrated by organized crime rings), saw the greatest suspected digital fraud volume growth globally in 2024, up more than 100% over 2023. The fraud rate remains at a relatively modest 3%. Gaming also saw a significant year-over-year (YoY) volume change, up 20%. Telecommunications (-79%), insurance (-29%) and video gaming (-23%) saw the greatest decreases in suspected digital fraud volume YoY.

“Digital fraud on community platforms is by no means a new phenomenon. In 2024, it appears that fraudsters targeted these areas with a renewed vigour,” said Reddy. “Cybercriminals take advantage of the trust inherent on community-based platforms, and target members with a wide range of scammer solicitations, the most reported type of digital fraud in communities.”

For attempted transactions where the consumer or fraudster was located in Kenya, gaming experienced the highest suspected attempted digital fraud rate in 2024 at 12.9% with a 33.8% increase in the volume of suspected digital fraud from 2023.

“It is encouraging to see that attempts at digital fraud have decreased across all but two of the surveyed industries in Kenya,” Reddy says. “Organisations that draw on identity, device and behavioural insights to help them interact with legitimate consumers while mitigating fraud risk are more likely to protect themselves and their customers from the scourge of digital fraud.”

Table 2: Highest Digital Fraud Rates Across Leading Industries in Kenya

Source: TransUnion TruValidate™

Fraud Comes with a Heavy Cost to Consumers

Consumers faced significant losses due to fraud. Among consumers TransUnion surveyed in 18 countries and regions in November and December 2024, 29% said they lost money due to email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud in the last year. The survey determined that the median amount those consumers said they lost due to fraud in the past year was Ksh226,132. For those who said they lost money due to fraud in Kenya, the median stated amount lost was Ksh116,108^[2].

TransUnion came to its conclusions about digital fraud based on intelligence from TransUnion TruValidate.

Specific country and regional data in the report includes Kenya, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Namibia the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia. Download the TransUnion H1 2025 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud Report for more information and insights about the global fraud trends.

^{[1] The rate or percentage of suspected digital fraud attempts reflects those which TransUnion customers determined met one of the following conditions: 1) denial in real time due to fraudulent indicators, 2) denial in real time for corporate policy violations, 3) fraudulent upon customer investigation, or 4) a corporate policy violation upon customer investigation — compared to all transactions assessed. The country and regional analyses examined transactions in which the consumer or suspected fraudster was located in a select country or region when conducting a transaction. Global statistics represents every country worldwide and not just the select countries and regions.}

^{[2] Based on the exchange rate on 6 Jan. 2025}