Absa boosts fraud prevention & collections with WhatsApp

Absa has expanded its use of FICO technology for fraud prevention, fraud investigations and debt-collection communications, improving fraud handling and collections results.

The South African lender now uses WhatsApp to contact customers when it detects suspected fraudulent card or digital transactions, allowing them to confirm activity quickly. If a customer does not have a smartphone, the system can fall back to a recorded voice note or SMS.

The approach increased self-solve cases by 47% for digital and card fraud and improved fraud-investigation customer communication by 121%.

Containment rates also rose after the WhatsApp rollout, with card fraud containment up 29% and digital fraud containment up 33%. Absa defined containment as resolving fraud at the initial point of contact.

Alongside its fraud work, the group has applied the same communications system to collections. It uses voice and WhatsApp channels to reach customers in financial distress, while segmenting them by risk profile to determine different treatment paths.

According to figures released by Absa, promises to pay more than doubled after WhatsApp was added to its collections strategy. Amounts collected also rose between 2024 and 2025, with year-on-year growth more than doubling.

Fraud response

The fraud process is tied into Absa's existing fraud-detection systems. When suspicious activity is identified, the communications platform sends an interactive WhatsApp message within milliseconds so customers can indicate whether a transaction is genuine or fraudulent.

If a customer confirms fraud, a fraud representative is automatically brought into the conversation. The aim is to shorten response times while reducing the need for staff involvement in straightforward verification cases.

"Absa serves 13 million customers across Africa, and therefore recognized the critical need for constant adaptation and innovation in fraud prevention strategies. Absa operates within a dynamic banking environment shaped by rising fraud risks, customer vulnerabilities, and mounting regulatory pressures. To protect our customers and support them when they need us most, we needed smarter, faster ways to communicate," said Ally Mafunzwaini, Executive of Absa Fraud Solutions at Absa.

Absa described itself as the first among South Africa's five biggest banks, and the only pan-African bank, to use WhatsApp both for fraud prevention and for communication throughout the fraud case journey.

Collections focus

The collections work comes as South African consumers face pressure from inflation and higher interest rates. Banks across the market have been looking for lower-cost ways to maintain contact with borrowers while directing more intensive support to customers struggling most with repayments.

At Absa, this has meant using digital prompts for some customers and more hands-on restructuring support for others. More granular segmentation has helped it tailor communication methods and collection strategies more closely to customer circumstances.

"Together, these initiatives powered by FICO have transformed how Absa engages with customers during moments of financial stress and fraud risk," said Moremi Mabe, Head of Collections, Absa Home Loans. "Customers now experience timely, personalized, and empathetic communication."

FICO said the work at Absa received a 2026 FICO Decision Award, judged by an independent panel. The award recognised the bank's results in fraud management and debt collection.

Nikhil Behl, President of Software at FICO, pointed to the broader use of digital communications tools in banking customer contact. "Absa's fantastic results demonstrate the power of deploying intelligent omni-channel communications technology across the credit lifecycle," he said. "Their commitment to innovation and customer protection exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking leadership we celebrate with the FICO Decision Awards."

One of the judges also highlighted the reported impact on customer communication. "The judges were impressed by Absa's strong results improving customer communications across the business," said Lisa Morgan, technology journalist and contributor at InformationWeek. "Absa has clearly improved customer trust using FICO's technology."