Brief
Capitec rolls out “ghost stop” and “landmine selfie” to trap fraud mules
The bank’s “scammernomics” strategy leaves compromised accounts active while blocking outgoing transfers until owners re‑verify identity.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Capitec Group’s chief information officer Andrew Baker described two new counter‑fraud measures – the “ghost stop” and the “landmine selfie” – in a piece supplied to TechCentral on Monday. Both tactics are part of the bank’s “scammernomics” approach, which seeks to make fraud unprofitable rather than merely harder to commit.
What happened
According to the source, Capitec deliberately keeps open bank accounts it has identified as being used by fraud syndicates. When money arrives in a mule account, the “ghost stop” holds the funds, preventing the criminals from moving them onward. The bank then notifies the legitimate client that the money can be recovered and returned. A second measure, the “landmine selfie”, triggers an unexpected biometric check – a facial or fingerprint verification – at the moment a user attempts to transfer money out of the account. The funds remain frozen until the original account holder completes the selfie verification in the app.
What the reports add
TechCentral notes that Capitec checks new clients’ biometrics against Department of Home Affairs records and periodically asks for re‑verification. Baker warned that scammers may time their attacks to avoid these checks, acquiring accounts after they have cleared. He also acknowledged a limitation: a deceived account holder who believes they are running an “invoicing service” could pass the selfie check and continue forwarding money. The bank pairs biometric checks with transaction monitoring to mitigate this risk.
What was said
“When the money arrives and cannot be moved onwards, the criminals discover that their investment has failed after they have already incurred the cost,” Baker wrote. He added that leaving the account looking active forces syndicates to spend on replacing accounts – “having 300 empty accounts blocked would cost a syndicate R150 000, affordable for an operation turning over far more.”
How it came about
Capitec, South Africa’s largest bank by client numbers with 26.6 million active clients, introduced the measures as digital banking crime losses rose to R2.41 billion in 2025, a 29.2 % increase on the previous year, according to the South African Banking Risk report. The bank’s earlier earnings release highlighted a 19 % jump in headline earnings for the six months to 31 August 2026, underscoring its financial strength while it battles rising fraud.
Key facts
- Capitec’s “ghost stop” holds incoming funds in suspected mule accounts until they can be returned to the client. (techcentral.co.za)
- The “landmine selfie” triggers a biometric verification when a transfer is attempted, freezing the money until the account holder re‑verifies. (techcentral.co.za)
- Capitec has 26.6 million active clients and reported digital banking crime losses of R2.41 billion in 2025. (techcentral.co.za)
Sources
- [1] techcentral.co.za — originally reported as “Capitec is setting traps for scammers' mule accounts”
