– – – Did you Know? – – –

While most insurance claims for stolen cellphones, laptops, and tablets are legitimate, a growing number are not. Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, and traditional verification methods are no longer enough.

Here are 5 of the most common device fraud tricks currently hitting South African insurers:

1. IMEI Cloning
Criminals copy the IMEI number from a legitimate device onto a stolen or cheaper one. This makes the stolen phone appear “clean” when checked against basic blacklists. Once cloned, the same device can be claimed multiple times or sold as legitimate.

2. Double (or Triple) Claiming
The same stolen device is claimed under different policies — sometimes with different insurers or through brokers. Without a central registry, it’s extremely difficult to connect the dots quickly.

3. “Stolen” Devices That Are Still Active
A claimant reports a phone as stolen, but the device remains in use on South African networks. This is a major red flag that many claims teams still miss without real-time checks.

4. Policy Shopping & Multiple Cover
Fraudsters take out several short-term insurance policies on the same high-value device shortly before “losing” it. They then submit claims to all insurers, hoping at least one pays out.

5. Fake or Altered Proof of Ownership
Using forged purchase receipts, swapped serial numbers, or even AI-generated documents to support a claim for a device they never owned or that was already damaged.

The Real Cost
These tactics are contributing to the sharp rise in detected fraud cases (over 13,000 in 2023 alone) and hundreds of millions in losses across the industry. Every fraudulent payout increases premiums for honest customers and hurts combined ratios.

The Solution is Simple and Effective
A shared, real-time device registry allows claims handlers and fraud teams to instantly check:

• IMEI and serial number history
• Previous loss reports across insurers
• Whether the device is still active on local networks

This gives you clear evidence in seconds instead of days of manual investigation. DeviceRegister.co.za was built by insurance professionals for the South African market to make exactly this kind of verification fast, secure, and easy.

Take Action
Don’t wait for the next fraudulent device claim to hit your desk.

• Register your company for free and start checking devices today
• Book a 15-minute demo and see the registry in action

The tools to fight device fraud are available right now. The question is — are you using them?