– – – HERE’s THE FACTS – – –

Every single day in South Africa, 189 cellphones are reported stolen — that’s one every 8 minutes.

Many of these devices end up as insurance claims. While some are genuine, a large number are fraudulent. The cost to the industry is massive.

The shocking numbers:

• In 2023, South African insurers detected 13,074 cases of fraud and dishonesty, a 46% increase from the previous year.
• Fraud losses reached R175.9 million, more than double the year before.
• Fraud teams managed to prevent R1.5 billion in suspicious payouts, which means the real losses are likely much higher.

Cellphones, laptops, and tablets are among the most targeted items for fraudulent claims. Criminals and dishonest claimants have become very good at exploiting the system by:

• Claiming devices that were never actually stolen
• Using cloned IMEI numbers
• Submitting the same device under multiple insurance policies
• Switching or repairing devices to claim brand new replacements

This type of fraud quietly increases combined ratios, pushes up premiums for honest customers, and drains millions from claims budgets every year.

A shared device registry is one of the most effective solutions.

With a central registry, insurers can instantly check whether a claimed device:

• Has already been reported stolen or lost by another insurer
• Is still actively connected to South African networks
• Has a history of multiple claims

This turns slow, guesswork-based decisions into fast, evidence-based ones. DeviceRegister.co.za was built specifically for this purpose, a secure, central registry for IMEI and serial numbers, designed for South African insurers, underwriters, brokers, and fraud teams.Early users are already experiencing:

• Faster claims processing
• Significant reduction in duplicate and fraudulent payouts
• Stronger evidence when declining suspicious claims

Honest policyholders are ultimately paying the price through higher premiums and reduced cover. The industry can do better.

Ready to reduce your device fraud losses?

1. Register your company for free and start verifying devices today
2. Book a quick 15-minute demo and see how it fits into your claims process

The first step costs nothing. The potential savings run into millions.