Quick answer: use this route first
Identity theft in South Africa is handled through three parties, not one. Report the crime to the South African Police Service on 10111 or at a station, protect your identity through the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service on 011 867 2234 or [email protected], and contact each credit provider where an account was opened in your name. If a bank account or card is involved, phone your bank first on the number printed on your card. Verified 18 August 2026.
Urgent steps to take now
- Phone your bank if any account, card or payment is affected, using the number on the back of your card. Ask for the account to be secured and any pending transaction stopped.
- Open a SAPS case. Dial 10111 or go to a station. SAFPS requires the fraud to be reported to SAPS, and the case number is needed by nearly every other process.
- Register the compromised document with SAFPS on 011 867 2234 if your ID book or passport was lost or stolen, so its details are entered on the database that members check.
- Apply for Protective Registration. It is free, and it flags your ID number so member credit providers apply additional care when confirming an applicant is you.
- Contact each credit provider where an account or loan was opened in your name, to establish whether you have been a victim of fraud.
Order matters here. The bank stops live losses, the SAPS case unlocks the paperwork everyone else demands, and the SAFPS filing limits what an impersonator can still do with your details tomorrow.
Official reporting or support channels
| Body | Contact | What it handles |
|---|---|---|
| South African Police Service | 10111, or any station | The criminal case and case number |
| SAFPS | 011 867 2234, [email protected] | Protective Registration, lost or stolen ID and passport filings, victim of impersonation filings |
| Your bank | Number on the back of your card | Securing accounts, stopping payments, disputes |
| Credit providers | Their own verified contact routes | Establishing and reversing fraudulent accounts |
| Registered credit bureaus | Their own official websites | Credit reports showing accounts opened in your name |
SAFPS advises conducting a credit check in your own name at least once a year. That is how most identity theft is discovered, because an impersonator rarely tells you and the first sign is usually an account you did not open. Take bureau contact details from each bureau’s own website rather than from a directory.
What information to prepare
- Your SAPS case number and the station where it was opened.
- A certified copy of your ID, your temporary ID, or your application for a replacement where the original was stolen.
- A list of the fraudulent accounts: the provider, the account number, the date opened and the amount.
- Evidence you did not enter the agreement, which credit providers will require before accepting that you were impersonated.
- The letter confirming impersonation once a credit provider has issued it, plus any PR and VIC numbers SAFPS gives you.
Keep every reference number in one place. An identity theft case runs across a bank, the police, SAFPS and several credit providers at once, and each will ask what the others said.
What not to share
- One-time passwords, PINs, card CVV numbers and banking login details. No bank, credit provider or fraud body needs them from you.
- Remote-access apps. Refuse any request to install software so someone can assist you.
- Payment to protect your identity. Protective Registration is free, so a fee request is itself the fraud.
- Copies of your ID sent to unverified addresses. Send documents only to [email protected] or through the official application routes, checked on the official domain.
- Your case details in public posts. Naming your ID number or account numbers in a social media complaint hands an impersonator more material.
If the issue is not resolved
Where a credit provider refuses to accept that you were impersonated, ask in writing for its formal dispute process and the reasons for its decision, quoting your SAPS case number. If the provider is not a SAFPS member, send SAFPS the supporting documentation directly and it can create the Protective Registration and victim filing itself, issuing a PR number and a VIC number.
If a bank or credit provider still does not resolve it, the National Financial Ombud handles unresolved banking and credit disputes, and complaints about credit agreements and credit bureau records may fall to the National Credit Regulator. Confirm jurisdiction and eligibility with either body before lodging rather than assuming your matter qualifies. None of these routes guarantees that a debt will be written off, but a documented impersonation filing is what most successful outcomes rest on.
Related emergency and fraud pages
- Protective Registration South Africa: how the SAFPS filing works and the three ways to apply.
- Wallet Stolen What To Do: the immediate sequence when cards and ID go missing together.
- Report A Scam South Africa: choosing the right body for each kind of loss.
- Banking Scam Prevention South Africa: protecting the accounts most likely to be targeted next.
- Fake Bank Call Scam South Africa: the impersonation call that often precedes identity theft.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I contact first about identity theft?
Your bank, if any account or card is involved, on the number printed on your card. Otherwise SAPS on 10111 to open the case, then SAFPS on 011 867 2234 to protect your identity against further misuse.
What information should I prepare?
Your SAPS case number, a certified copy of your ID or temporary ID, a list of the fraudulent accounts with dates and amounts, evidence that you did not enter the agreements, and any letter from a credit provider confirming impersonation.
What should I do if I cannot get help?
Ask the credit provider in writing for its formal dispute process and reasons. Send SAFPS your documentation directly if the provider is not a member. If it remains unresolved, approach the National Financial Ombud or the National Credit Regulator, confirming first that your matter falls within their mandate.
How do I find out if my identity is already being used?
Run a credit check in your own name, which SAFPS recommends doing at least once a year. Accounts you do not recognise are the usual first evidence. Obtain the report from a registered credit bureau through its own website rather than through a third-party offer.
Last verified 18 August 2026. Routes confirmed on safps.org.za and saps.gov.za.