Based on reports and warnings issued by financial regulators and digital security firms in Botswana during 2025, the Number One General Fraud Scam that posed the greatest threat and caused the most reported losses was a cluster of crimes known as Social Engineering and Mobile Money Scams.
This broad category primarily involves trust-based fraud where the criminal manipulates the victim into authorizing the transaction.
The Number One Scams: Money and Gift Card Scams (The Social Engineering Cluster)
According to a TransUnion report from the first half of 2025, the single most prevalent type of fraud attempt targeting Batswana consumers via digital channels (email, SMS, phone call) was:
Money or Gift Card Scams: Reported by 43% of Batswana who said they were targeted with fraud between February and May 2025.
This type of fraud is often achieved through high-volume, low-cost tactics that rely on impersonation:
Impersonation and Vishing/Smishing: Scammers pose as representatives of banks, mobile money operators, or reputable companies claiming the victim has won a prize, is entitled to a payout, or must pay an urgent “fee” to unlock funds. The goal is to deceive the customer into divulging their PIN, account number, or a One-Time Password (OTP).
Mobile Money Exploitation: The Bank of Botswana (BoB) issued an explicit caution in August 2025 about the “alarming rise in financial scams targeting banking and mobile money platforms.” The BoB noted that a significant number of crimes are linked to customers being deceived into divulging personal account information, which fraudsters then use to illegally withdraw money from mobile money and bank accounts.
SIM Swap Fraud: Telecommunications providers, like BTC, specifically warned in late 2025 that major fraud schemes currently affecting citizens include SIM swaps and bank-to-wallet scams. Criminals use social engineering to trick victims into registering SIM cards for them or divulging information needed to perform a SIM swap, thus gaining access to bank accounts authenticated via SMS.
In summary, the most dangerous scams in Botswana during 2025 were those that relied on Social Engineering (deception) to access the victim’s mobile money or banking accounts, often facilitated by SIM-related fraud.