A request to confirm your contact details is either routine administration or the opening move of a fraud, and the two look identical. The difference is entirely in who initiated the contact and what they are actually asking for.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. This page covers how to handle a confirmation request safely, and how to update your details with an organisation properly.
The rule that settles almost every case
If they contacted you, verify independently before responding. End the call or ignore the message, then contact the organisation yourself on a number from your card, your statement, or its own website typed into the address bar. A genuine request survives that; a fraudulent one does not.
| What is being asked | How to treat it |
|---|---|
| Confirming your address or email | Routine. Still verify independently if they phoned you. |
| Asking for your PIN or password | Always fraud. No organisation asks for these, ever. |
| Asking for a one-time password | Always fraud. The OTP is the last line of defence on your account. |
| Asking you to click a link to verify | Treat as fraud. Navigate to the site yourself instead. |
| Asking you to confirm new banking details | Verify by telephone on a number you already had, before anything else. |
Updating your details properly
- Do it through the organisation’s own channel: its app, its secure portal, a branch, or a number you dialled yourself.
- Expect to be verified. A provider that changes your contact details without checking who you are is the one with a security problem.
- Get a reference number and a confirmation. Details changed without a record are details that get changed back.
- Update the important ones first: bank, medical scheme, insurer, employer, and anywhere a one-time password is sent.
- Check that the old number is no longer receiving your OTPs. A SIM you no longer control that still receives authentication messages is a serious exposure.
SIM swap: why the phone number matters most
A SIM swap fraud transfers your number to an attacker’s SIM, after which every one-time password goes to them. It is usually preceded by attempts to gather your personal details, which is what a fake confirmation call is for.
- Sudden loss of signal, with the phone showing no service where it normally works, is the warning sign. Treat it as urgent rather than as a network fault.
- Phone your mobile operator immediately from another phone, and then your bank.
- Ask your bank about additional verification on your account, which most offer.
- Do not use SMS as your only authentication method where an app-based alternative is offered.
- Report it and get a case number, because any later claim depends on one existing.
Why this particular fraud works so well
Nothing has to be hacked for a confirmation scam to succeed. The attacker relies entirely on the fact that a request to check your details is ordinary, that organisations genuinely do make such calls, and that most people would rather be helpful than difficult. Every element of the approach is designed to make verifying feel unnecessary and slightly rude.
That is why the rule is procedural rather than a matter of judgement. Do not try to work out whether a caller sounds genuine, because a competent fraudster sounds more genuine than a real call centre. End the contact, dial a number you already trust, and start again. A legitimate organisation will not mind, will have a record of the request, and will be able to continue the conversation. If contacting them directly makes the request evaporate, that is the answer, and it cost you nothing but a few minutes.
Questions people actually ask
The caller knew my account number. Doesn't that prove it's real?
No. Account numbers, addresses and recent transactions all circulate in data breaches and are used precisely to establish credibility. Knowing your details proves nothing about who is calling. The only reliable test is to end the call and dial the organisation yourself.
They said they would only ask for the last digits of my OTP.
Still fraud. There is no legitimate reason for anyone to ask for any part of a one-time password, ever. The partial-digits framing exists specifically to sound reasonable, and it is a known technique rather than a variation.
I already gave them information. What now?
Phone your bank from a number on your card and tell them exactly what was disclosed. Change any password or PIN involved. If identity documents were shared, register a Protective Registration with SAFPS on 011 867 2234, which is free and flags your identity to credit providers. Open a police case.
My phone suddenly lost signal for no reason.
Treat it as urgent rather than as a network fault. Phone your mobile operator from another handset immediately, then your bank. A SIM swap transfers your number to an attacker, after which every one-time password goes to them, and the window to stop it is short.
How often should I update my details with providers?
Whenever they change, and check the important ones once a year: bank, medical scheme, insurer, retirement fund and employer. A retirement fund with an old address is one of the commonest reasons benefits go unclaimed for years.
Regulator and ombud routes on this page were verified against their own official contact pages on 24 August 2026.