AI system thwarts tourist permit scam in Cape Town
Criminals caught on CCTV footage.
Image: Screenshot
AS UNSUSPECTING tourists continue to fall prey to sophisticated card cloning scams in Cape Town, local authorities have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) in their fight against fraud.
One of the latest incidents was caught on CCTV via the Atlantic Seaboard’s Watchtower Group. (WTG)
Group director, Jacques Weber, who is also the founder of the Atlantic Seaboard Response (ASB), shared a video showing how a tourist was scammed out of all her money earlier this month after using her bank card to pay for a fake permit in Green Point, which she was told "allowed her to walk down a specific street".
Payment was made via an electronic keypad mounted against a wall, which had been installed by the suspects who had accomplices.
Weber said they designed an AI system to sound an audio alarm to suspected victims when suspicious behaviour was detected, in order to deter the criminals or to send help for arrests to be successful.
The one-minute video shows the suspect mounting the keypad onto the wall and waiting patiently for a suitable target.
A female is working with him to lure victims and is making it look legitimate.
The suspects then identify a tourist they can scam. Then they explain to her that she needs to pay to walk there.
Not knowing any better, she proceeds to comply.
Another suspect keeps a lookout for security. Then they leave, and she realises what has happened and they have cleared her account and she has been scammed.
The WTG control disrupts them using audio and dispatch resources simultaneously.
Security teams arrive to help the victim and Sea Point Police also arrive on the scene.
Weber said: “We have all heard about the scam targeting tourists, where suspects approach people walking in the area and claim they need a 'permit' to walk on a particular road. In this incident, the scammers tried exactly that, but picked the wrong building. Our smart AI CCTV detection system immediately picked up the suspicious behaviour. Our operators issued an audio warning and dispatched a full response straight away.
The keypad used by criminals.
Image: Supplied
"Through the use of our AI-driven monitoring solutions, we have previously assisted in the arrest of suspects involved in similar scams, and we will continue using technology, teamwork, and rapid response to help keep our communities safer. Criminals are becoming smarter, but so is the technology being used to stop them.
“The system used in this incident is an off-site monitoring solution by WatchTower, where cameras installed at properties are actively monitored through advanced AI technology.
"Certain properties, including the building shown in this video, also have integrated audio speakers which allow operators to intervene in real time.
“When suspicious activity is detected, operators can immediately issue live audio warnings such as: 'You are being monitored and armed response services are on the way'.
"During the same week as this incident, similar suspects were also disrupted at another property further along Green Point Main Road.”
Weber said scammers typically target tourists by falsely claiming they require a "permit" to walk in a specific area or by demanding payment for parking.
“The stolen information is rapidly shared with another team who then create cloned cards and begin making fraudulent transactions. This unfortunately is not a new trend and has been occurring.”
Simon Dippenaar, chairperson of the Sea Point Community Police Forum (CPF), also warned local residents and tourists of being duped via two bank card scams.
“Two scams are quietly draining accounts on this coastline right now — card skimming at restaurants, petrol stations and small retailers along Main Road, Regent Road and the Promenade, and SIM-swap fraud, where a stranger convinces your network to move your number to their SIM and watches every OTP land in their hand instead of yours. Both have a defence. Both take less than a minute."