104,035 South African consumer records shared on DarkForums

Overview

On 7 February 2025, a DarkForums user posted a dataset described as containing information on 104,035 South African consumers. The sample lines show four fields per record: email address, full name, phone number and country.

What was published

The thread includes a preview of several records with South African phone numbers and email addresses, confirming real consumer data in the sample. The origin of the list and the source system were not identified by the poster.

Risks for affected individuals

• Phone numbers combined with names and emails enable SMS and email phishing at scale.
• The data can be cross-referenced with other leaks to build detailed profiles.

What remains unknown

• Which company or database the records were extracted from.
• Whether the full 104,035 records are available or only a sample.
• Whether the data is current or contains outdated contacts.

What affected people should do

South African consumers should be wary of unsolicited calls and messages using their personal details. Anyone who recognises their own information in such a leak should monitor their accounts and report suspicious contacts.