The Bank of Mozambique (BoM) revealed that 39,000 electronic frauds were recorded in 2023, causing the loss of more than 180 million meticals, stressing that the phenomenon is a permanent concern, as it jeopardises the credibility of the national payment system.
According to Jamal Omar, director of the Monetary Stability department at the BoM, the numbers tend to increase, and in the first five months of this year, 8,000 new cases have already been recorded.
“The greatest volume of fraud using electronic means of payment occurs in transactions with electronic money, with bank cards and via Internet banking,” he explained.
Speaking on Thursday 1 August during a seminar in Maputo, Omar said that the entity he represents is committed to finding solutions to minimise the cases. “As the central bank, we are renewing our mission to ensure the collection and centralisation of information on fraud using electronic means of payment, in a timely manner, while always safeguarding the banking secrecy required of credit institutions and financial companies.”
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Amilton Alissone, maintained that the Executive is committed to strengthening technical capacities to guarantee greater consumer protection, arguing that there must be collaboration between all parties to speed up the fight against these crimes.
“Current fraud trends show that criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, demanding a coordinated and innovative response from us. Our ability to investigate and combat these frauds is vital to maintaining the trust of users of payment networks and systems,” he argued.
Data from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) indicates that 286 criminal cases related to computer scams were processed in the first five months of the year.
