NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 – Visa has warned of a widening gap between consumer confidence and actual digital payment safety in East Africa, even as AI-powered scams become increasingly sophisticated.
Speaking at the third Cybersecurity Summit in Nairobi, Charles Lebo, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Regional Risk Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said the region is benefiting from Visa’s global $12 billion investment in AI, data, and cyber protection—but local users remain highly vulnerable.
Lebo cited Visa’s Stay Secure study, which shows 95 percent of East Africans believe they can spot scams, yet 80 percent still fall victim to phishing and fraud.
He described this overconfidence as ‘costly,’ especially as online transactions now outpace in-person payments.
AI tools like deepfakes and voice cloning are also complicating fraud detection, making traditional red flags obsolete.
While Visa’s systems provide a strong backend shield, Lebo stressed that broader consumer awareness and updated defense strategies are urgently needed as two-thirds of East Africans plan to use digital payments more frequently.
