For South African businesses conducting customer onboarding and fraud risk assessment, access to SAFPS data is one of the most powerful tools available. The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) maintains the largest database of South African fraud-related information in the world, making it a golden source for detecting high-risk individuals before they can cause harm.

ThisIsMe offers access to this data through two distinct services: the SAFPS Report and the SAFPS Snapshot. While both draw on the same underlying SAFPS database, they serve different purposes and return different information. This guide explains the difference between the two, what each returns, and how to choose the right one for your business.

What is SAFPS?

The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) is a proudly South African non-profit organisation, established in 2001, that combats fraud by maintaining a shared database of fraud-related information contributed by its members. These members span banking, retail, financial services, telecommunications, motor vehicle finance, insurance, and other sectors. Since its inception, the SAFPS member group has prevented more than R8 billion in attempted fraud within the South African economy.

The SAFPS database contains a wealth of critical risk assessment information, including records of confirmed fraud, impersonation, and identity theft, as well as protective registrations filed by consumers who have been victims of impersonation or who have had their identity documents lost or stolen. This makes it an exceptionally valuable resource for screening individuals for red flags, verifying trusted individuals, and conducting Enhanced Due Diligence. For a detailed explanation of EDD, refer to our guide: What is Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) and When is it Required?

What is the SAFPS Report?

The SAFPS Report is a detailed individual report that returns comprehensive information for all case information associated with an individual on the SAFPS database. It is designed for businesses that need the full depth of SAFPS fraud intelligence on a person.

One of the defining features of the SAFPS Report is its flexible input. It can be run using a South African ID number, an email address, a bank account number, or a mobile number, which makes it particularly useful in situations where a full ID number may not be available. In return, the SAFPS Report provides the full SAFPS personal information held on the individual, together with detailed incident information for any fraud cases associated with them.

This incident information is extensive. For each incident, the SAFPS Report returns the incident reference number, the incident description, the log date of the incident, the member information and internal member reference number, and the financial savings or loss resulting from the fraud incident. It also returns detailed category information for each incident, including the fraud category code, the category name such as impersonation, the sub-category code, and the sub-category name such as perpetrator of impersonation. In short, the SAFPS Report provides a deep, case-level view of an individual's fraud history.

What is the SAFPS Snapshot?

The SAFPS Snapshot is a summary report that returns surface-level information for all case information associated with an individual, combined with a full identity dataset. It is designed as an all-in-one identity verification and fraud risk assessment tool for businesses that need both identity confirmation and a fraud risk overview in a single check.

The SAFPS Snapshot is run using a South African ID number. In return, it provides a full National Population Registry personal information dataset, including the individual's full name, title, country of birth, date of birth, age, sex, vital status, citizenship, marital status, and ID status, together with an ID photograph from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). Alongside this identity data, the Snapshot returns the individual's SAFPS incident information at a summary level, including the full name, the fraud category code, the category name such as impersonation, and the case reference number.

The combination of a complete identity dataset, a DHA photograph, and a fraud category overview in a single service is what makes the SAFPS Snapshot a powerful all-in-one workflow. It effectively merges identity verification and fraud screening into one check. For a broader explanation of identity verification, refer to our guide: What is Identity Verification (IDV) and Why Does it Matter?

SAFPS Report vs SAFPS Snapshot: The Key Differences

While both services draw on SAFPS data, they differ in several important respects.

The most fundamental difference is depth versus breadth. The SAFPS Report provides deep, case-level detail on an individual's fraud incidents, including financial loss data and full sub-category information. The SAFPS Snapshot provides a surface-level fraud overview combined with a full identity dataset, prioritising a complete all-in-one picture over case-level depth.

The two services also differ in their input flexibility. The SAFPS Report can be run using an ID number, email address, bank account number, or mobile number, making it versatile in situations where identifying information is limited. The SAFPS Snapshot is run using a South African ID number.

They differ in the identity data they return. The SAFPS Snapshot includes a full National Population Registry identity dataset and a DHA ID photograph, making it a combined identity verification and fraud screening tool. The SAFPS Report focuses on comprehensive fraud case information rather than identity verification data.

Finally, they differ in incident detail. The SAFPS Report returns extensive per-incident information, including incident descriptions, dates, member details, and financial loss figures. The SAFPS Snapshot returns fraud categories and case reference numbers at a summary level.

Which SAFPS Service is Right for Your Business?

The right choice depends on what your business needs from the check.

The SAFPS Snapshot is the better choice when you need an efficient, all-in-one workflow that combines identity verification and fraud screening in a single step. It is well suited to customer onboarding, where confirming a customer's identity against DHA data and simultaneously checking for fraud risk provides a fast, comprehensive foundation for the relationship. For businesses conducting high volumes of onboarding, the Snapshot's combination of identity and surface-level fraud data in one check is highly efficient.

The SAFPS Report is the better choice when you need the full depth of fraud intelligence on an individual. It is particularly valuable for Enhanced Due Diligence and fraud investigations, where understanding the detail of an individual's fraud history, including the nature of each incident and the financial losses involved, is essential to a thorough risk assessment. It is also the service to use when you need to run a check on an identifier other than an ID number, such as an email address, bank account number, or mobile number.

Many businesses use both services as part of a layered approach. The SAFPS Snapshot serves as the efficient first-line check during onboarding, providing identity verification and an initial fraud risk overview, while the SAFPS Report is deployed for deeper investigation when a flag is raised or when a high-risk application warrants intensive Enhanced Due Diligence. For guidance on structuring due diligence for higher-risk clients, refer to our guide: How to Conduct Enhanced Due Diligence on High-Risk Clients in South Africa.

How SAFPS Fits Into Your Broader Fraud and Compliance Strategy

SAFPS data is a powerful fraud intelligence resource, but it delivers the most value as part of a comprehensive KYC and fraud prevention framework. Alongside SAFPS screening, a complete framework typically includes identity verification against DHA records, AML screening against sanctions, PEP, and adverse media data, and bank account verification. For a detailed explanation of AML screening, refer to our guide: What is AML Screening? PEP, Sanctions & Adverse Media Explained.

Both the SAFPS Report and the SAFPS Snapshot are available through ThisIsMe's web-based Partners Platform for businesses that prefer to run checks manually, and through API integration for businesses that wish to embed SAFPS screening directly into their automated onboarding workflows. This flexibility allows businesses of every size to incorporate SAFPS fraud intelligence in the way that best suits their operations.

SAFPS Fraud Intelligence Solutions for South African Businesses

As South Africa's leading provider of world-class identity verification, KYC, and fraud prevention solutions, ThisIsMe gives businesses direct access to the SAFPS golden-source fraud database through both the SAFPS Report and the SAFPS Snapshot. Whether you need an efficient all-in-one identity and fraud check for onboarding, or the full depth of fraud intelligence for Enhanced Due Diligence and investigations, ThisIsMe provides the right tool for the job, accessible through our Partners Platform or via seamless API integration. To experience our full suite of SAFPS and fraud prevention solutions and find out how we can serve your business, contact our team here.