Security awareness training for teams handling customer payments and the scams built around delivery
Retailers and online stores sit at both ends of a scam that is extremely common in South Africa: a fake courier SMS asking a customer to pay a 'clearance fee,' and support teams who then field the angry calls. Support, warehouse, and finance staff all need training that matches that pattern, plus the basics of handling customer payment data safely.
What retail and e-commerce staff actually face
- Fake courier and delivery SMS impersonating the retailer itself, asking customers to pay a small "clearance" or "redelivery" fee through a lookalike page - support teams need to recognize and correctly explain this to customers.
- Phishing targeting finance staff with access to payment gateway or refund-processing systems, often disguised as a customer refund request.
- Invoice and BEC fraud aimed at procurement and supplier-payment teams, similar to other sectors but often hidden in a high volume of routine supplier email.
- Social engineering calls aimed at warehouse or logistics staff, requesting order or address changes without proper verification.
- Account-takeover attempts on customer loyalty or store-credit accounts, where a fraudster calls support claiming to be a locked-out customer.
POPIA and the Cybercrimes Act
Retailers and online stores hold customer payment and order data covered by POPIA, and the fake courier-SMS pattern is squarely the kind of fraud the Cybercrimes Act addresses. We map modules openly to both and recommend confirming current guidance with your compliance team before citing a specific clause.
See South Africa's regulatory drivers →Recommended tracks
All-Staff Core
Baseline phishing, social engineering, and password hygiene for every staff member, including the courier-SMS spotlight.
Finance & Payments
For finance staff handling refunds, chargebacks, and supplier payments.
Remote / Hybrid Workers
For support staff working from home or a satellite office.
Frequently asked questions
Does this training stop the fake courier SMS scam from reaching our customers?
No single training program can stop a scam SMS from reaching someone's phone. What it does is train your support, finance, and warehouse staff to recognize the pattern quickly, explain it clearly to a worried customer, and avoid falling for the finance-team version of the same trick (a fake "refund processing fee" request).
Can support and warehouse staff get a shorter, role-specific version?
Yes. All-Staff Core covers the shared fraud patterns in short modules; support and warehouse teams complete the same baseline without needing the finance-specific payment-fraud modules.
How do you handle sensitive customer scenarios in training without real customer data?
All scenarios use fictional customers, orders, and account numbers. No real customer data, logos, or live links are used in simulations.