Botswana Scams: Tourist, Online & Investment Fraud Guide
Common scams affecting tourists and residents in Botswana, with official reporting routes through the Botswana Police Service.
Emergency number: 999 (emergency) — verify on official sources.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Botswana is a stable, relatively prosperous African nation known for its wildlife reserves and safari tourism — and its most damaging frauds have historically been Ponzi schemes, which recur in waves promising monthly returns from 'forex trading', 'crypto mining' or agricultural ventures and recruit through churches, workplaces and WhatsApp groups until the payouts stop. The Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) maintains registers of licensed investment providers, and checking them before depositing is the single most useful habit for Batswana savers.
Mobile money fraud tracks the wallets in daily use — Orange Money, MyZaka and Smega — with the regional standard scripts: fake 'wrong deposit' reversal calls, spoofed confirmation SMS, callers impersonating provider staff who talk victims through PIN-revealing steps, and SIM swaps. Phishing impersonates FNB Botswana, Absa and Stanbic, social-media shops take payment and never ship, fake job ads charge 'registration' fees in a tight labour market, and advance-fee emails still circulate. Visitors to the Okavango Delta, Chobe and Kasane meet the tourism layer: unlicensed 'safari operators' collecting deposits for camps and mobile safaris that don't exist, and gem or 'diamond deal' pitches that are illegal as well as fraudulent, since diamond trading is tightly controlled.
The Botswana Police Service and the 999 emergency line are the main reporting channels, with economic crimes handled by the DCEC. Provider first for wallet fraud, bank first for transfers, then the police case number both will ask for.
Common scams
- Advance-fee and lottery scams via email or SMS
- Phishing messages impersonating Botswana banks
- Investment and crypto fraud promoted via social media
- Online marketplace fraud with no delivery
Tourist-specific scams
- Inflated safari operator fees from unlicensed guides
- Gem and diamond investment scam pitches in tourist areas
- Overcharging informal taxis and minibuses
Online shopping scams
- Fake social media shops with no goods delivered
- Delivery fee SMS scams impersonating postal services
- Phishing emails impersonating banks or government agencies
Job scams
- Fake overseas job ads requiring advance fees or document copies
- Task scams via messaging apps escalating into deposit demands
- Bogus 'registration fee' job ads exploiting the tight local labour market
Romance scams
- Dating-app grooming escalating to investment or money requests
- Fake online partners seeking emergency transfers
- Hijacked WhatsApp accounts asking the victim's contacts for loans
Investment scams
- Fake forex and crypto platforms promoted on social media
- Pig-butchering combining romance with fabricated investment portals
- Recurring Ponzi waves promising monthly 'trading' returns through community networks
How to report a scam here
- Contact your bank immediately to freeze affected accounts
- Call 999 or visit the nearest Botswana Police Service station to file a report
- Report economic crimes and corruption to the DCEC for specialist handling
- Preserve all screenshots, messages and transaction evidence
Local reporting & protection links
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Bank & payment guidance
The sooner your bank knows, the better the chance of holding funds before they move on. Reach the bank yourself, through the number on your card, the official app or a branch, and never through a number or link sent to you. Explain that you were tricked into authorising the payment, ask for an emergency hold and for the receiving account to be reported, and note the reference you are given. For mobile money fraud, call the provider — Orange Money, MyZaka or Smega — with the transaction reference before anything else, since wallet funds can sometimes be frozen before cash-out, and reset your PIN if it was revealed. Report to the Botswana Police Service on 999, or the DCEC for economic crime, and give the bank that case reference. Investment-scheme losses should also be reported to NBFIRA, which can act against unlicensed operators.
Evidence to preserve
- Screenshot all messages, profiles, websites and payment pages
- Save transaction references, account numbers and crypto wallet addresses
- Keep emails with full headers where possible
- Note dates, times, names and phone numbers used
Frequently asked questions
Who handles economic crime and corruption in Botswana?
The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) investigates fraud, money laundering, insider trading and embezzlement in Botswana. You can contact them directly for financial crime matters, in addition to reporting to the Botswana Police Service on 999.
How do I check an investment scheme is licensed in Botswana?
Verify the provider against NBFIRA's registers of licensed non-bank financial institutions before depositing anything. Schemes promising fixed monthly returns from forex, crypto or 'trading robots', recruited through friends or church groups, follow the Ponzi pattern that has burned Batswana savers repeatedly — the register check takes minutes and settles the question.
How do mobile money scams work in Botswana?
The usual scripts are 'wrong deposit' calls demanding a reversal of money that never arrived, spoofed confirmation SMS, and callers posing as Orange Money, MyZaka or Smega staff who dictate keypad steps that expose your PIN. Check your actual balance in the menu before acting on any message, and never dial codes at a caller's instruction.
Sources
- National police and cybercrime portals (verify on official sites)
- FTC / Action Fraud / Scamwatch consumer guidance