--- title: Bank robberies, ATM bombings collapse as criminals go... description: South African bank branch robberies and ATM bombings plunged in 2025, with just two robberies (down from eight) and ATM attacks down 46%, according to Sabric's... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Bank robberies, ATM bombings collapse as criminals go digital | daily.dev og:description: South African bank branch robberies and ATM bombings plunged in 2025, with just two robberies (down from eight) and ATM attacks down 46%, according to Sabric's... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/Ak0bJJs0A.png og:image:alt: Bank robberies, ATM bombings collapse as criminals go digital og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Bank robberies, ATM bombings collapse as criminals go digital **[TechCentral](https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary South African bank branch robberies and ATM bombings plunged in 2025, with just two robberies (down from eight) and ATM attacks down 46%, according to Sabric's annual crime statistics. Meanwhile digital banking fraud surged, with client claims hitting R2.4-billion across 110 074 cases, up 29.2% year-on-year and more than double 2023 levels. Most digital fraud stems from social engineering scams where criminals impersonate banks or police to trick victims into authorising transfers themselves, rather than system breaches. Physical robberies tied to banking transactions and vehicle/home loan application fraud also rose. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How much did digital banking fraud cost South African banks in 2025 compared to 2024? Digital banking fraud claims reached R2.4-billion across 110,074 investigations in South Africa, up 29.2% from R1.86-billion in 2024 and more than double the R1.09-billion recorded in 2023. The average loss per case climbed to R21,865 from R19,095, meaning losses grew faster than case volume, which rose 12.8%. _Teams building fraud detection systems can track shifting attack patterns like this on daily.dev._ ### Why are ATM bombings and bank robberies declining in South Africa while digital fraud rises? South African bank branch robberies fell to just two in 2025 from eight in 2024, and ATM attacks using explosives dropped 58% from 254 to 107 incidents. Sabric credits enforcement efforts like Project Big Bang, which led to nearly 50 arrests, plus physical defenses such as roller shutter doors and ATM cages, rather than any reduction in criminal intent, which simply shifted toward digital channels. _Security engineers weighing physical versus digital threat mitigation can follow trends like this on daily.dev._ ### Are banking apps themselves being hacked in the rise of digital banking fraud? No, Sabric states digital banking fraud is not evidence of banking systems being breached. In most cases the fraud begins outside the banking platform, with criminals impersonating trusted organizations, creating urgency, or guiding customers in real time through a transaction; the banking app is simply where the customer, already deceived, authorizes the transfer. _Developers building anti-fraud and authentication flows can track social engineering trends on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [South African fraud surge runs on trust, not hacking](https://daily.dev/posts/south-african-fraud-surge-runs-on-trust-not-hacking-agfoxow7e) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [AI fraud is outrunning South African banking defences](https://daily.dev/posts/ai-fraud-is-outrunning-south-african-banking-defences-dcdy1czqj) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [AI fuels more than half of cybercrime in Africa as digital scams surge, INTERPOL](https://daily.dev/posts/ai-fuels-more-than-half-of-cybercrime-in-africa-as-digital-scams-surge-interpol-2npxoj4no) · Hacker News · 2 upvotes · 1 comments - [SA’s digital economy is booming – but so is the fraud that comes with it](https://daily.dev/posts/sa-s-digital-economy-is-booming-but-so-is-the-fraud-that-comes-with-it-8ktwjdi2e) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#cyber](https://daily.dev/tags/cyber), [#authentication](https://daily.dev/tags/authentication), [#fintech](https://daily.dev/tags/fintech), [#fraud-detection](https://daily.dev/tags/fraud-detection) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Bank robberies, ATM bombings collapse as criminals go digital","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a"},"datePublished":"2026-08-14T11:56:24.750Z","dateModified":"2026-08-14T11:56:50.868Z","description":"South African bank branch robberies and ATM bombings plunged in 2025, with just two robberies (down from eight) and ATM attacks down 46%, according to Sabric's...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/97cf9d864861431fe8332fedd6fa9632?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/97cf9d864861431fe8332fedd6fa9632?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"TechCentral","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCentral","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--RsqLDZrL--/f_auto/v1717745297/logos/techcentral","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"cyber,authentication,fintech,fraud-detection","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TechCentral","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Bank robberies, ATM bombings collapse as criminals go digital"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/bank-robberies-atm-bombings-collapse-as-criminals-go-digital-ak0bjjs0a#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How much did digital banking fraud cost South African banks in 2025 compared to 2024?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Digital banking fraud claims reached R2.4-billion across 110,074 investigations in South Africa, up 29.2% from R1.86-billion in 2024 and more than double the R1.09-billion recorded in 2023. The average loss per case climbed to R21,865 from R19,095, meaning losses grew faster than case volume, which rose 12.8%. Teams building fraud detection systems can track shifting attack patterns like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why are ATM bombings and bank robberies declining in South Africa while digital fraud rises?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"South African bank branch robberies fell to just two in 2025 from eight in 2024, and ATM attacks using explosives dropped 58% from 254 to 107 incidents. Sabric credits enforcement efforts like Project Big Bang, which led to nearly 50 arrests, plus physical defenses such as roller shutter doors and ATM cages, rather than any reduction in criminal intent, which simply shifted toward digital channels. Security engineers weighing physical versus digital threat mitigation can follow trends like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Are banking apps themselves being hacked in the rise of digital banking fraud?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, Sabric states digital banking fraud is not evidence of banking systems being breached. In most cases the fraud begins outside the banking platform, with criminals impersonating trusted organizations, creating urgency, or guiding customers in real time through a transaction; the banking app is simply where the customer, already deceived, authorizes the transfer. Developers building anti-fraud and authentication flows can track social engineering trends on daily.dev."}}]} ```