Close to 80% of South African households have at least one person who accesses the internet. Sooner or later, practically all local internet users will experience online fraud.
The good news, however, is there are specific remedies available for fraud involving .za domain names.
That’s according to ISPA, SA’s internet Industry Representative Body, ZA Registry Consortium (ZARC) and the .za Domain Name Authority (.zadna).
ZARC is the contracted Registry Operator for the .za commercial second-level domains, while .zadna manages and regulates the .za namespace.
“Ongoing collaboration between SA’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) sector and local domain organisations means there are remedies available for each type of .za domain name fraud. Our public advisory on domain name fraud provides useful guidance on reporting this specific type of cybercrime,” says Ant Brooks, ISPA spokesman.
Internet users are urged to read the advisory which contains remedies for dealing with SA-based domain fraud:
ISPA Public Advisory: Domain Name Fraud (version 2.0)
Domain name fraud might take the form of a fake banking website, an email pretending to come from a government department with a valuable tender opportunity, or simply a message from a “relative” who has died and left a fortune.
Domain names are the identifiers appearing in email addresses (fake.name@fakedept.gov.za) and websites (www.faketenders.co.za). The new advisory from ISPA, ZARC and .zadna describes a number of fraudulent activities involving domain names.
In particular, the advisory outlines how local web users can deal with each type of .za domain name fraud, while also providing links to reporting processes:
If the problem is a South African-hosted website being used in a fraudulent manner, it might be possible to have the website taken down using the ISPA-administered Take-Down Notice (TDN) process.
If there is a .za domain name being used for fraud that doesn’t have an actual associated website (because, for example, the domain is being used to send scam emails), or there is a website using a .za domain name, that isn’t hosted in South Africa, then the ZARC anti-abuse and take-down process might help getting the domain suspended.
If someone is using a .za domain name to pretend to be your company, then you might be able to use the .za Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process to have that domain transferred to you. Please see https://www.domaindisputes.co.za/. Unlike the previous two cases, there is usually a cost involved in a formal domain dispute.
If you are the victim of online fraud that doesn’t involve a website hosted in South African and also doesn’t use a .za domain name, then your options are more limited. Any substantial fraud should always be reported to your local SAPS. You should also notify the National Cybersecurity Hub.
Unfortunately, for scammers based in other countries, there are fewer options for the victims. This fact is all the more reason for legitimate businesses to host their websites locally and to use a South African domain name.
“Locally-hosted sites and local domain names are more trustworthy because South Africa has processes in place to combat fraud happening within our jurisdiction,” concludes Brooks.
Founded in 1996, ISPA is the only internet sector IRB officially recognised by the DCDT. ISPA advocates for an open, free, and competitive internet landscape.