Financial Crime Analyst

Purpose of the Role

The Financial Crime Analyst is responsible for identifying, investigating, managing, and reporting financial crime risks across the Lesaka Enterprise Division, including EasyPay, Prism Payments, Recharger, and Atom. The role focuses on detecting and investigating internal and external fraud across payment, prepaid, utility, and switching services, supporting disciplinary and legal action where required, assisting with loss recovery, and helping ensure compliance within a highly regulated payments environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Financial Crime Detection and Case Management
• Receive, assess and prioritise financial crime alerts, reports, whistleblowing tip-offs and referrals from business, banks and partners.
• Open and manage case files, keep them up to date and close cases within agreed timelines.
• Escalation of high-value or high-risk matters to the Compliance & Risk Manager.

2. Analysis and Investigations
• Investigate internal and external fraud, theft, corruption and misconduct across the Division's products and channels.
• Analyse transaction data, system logs and reconciliations to trace funds and identify suspicious patterns.
• Gather and preserve physical and digital evidence, keeping a proper chain of custody, working with Technology where needed.
• Conduct interviews and take statements and affidavits.
• Prepare clear investigation reports with findings and recommendations.

3. TPPP and System Operator Investigations
• Investigate incidents involving funds collected on behalf of billers, including misdirected, unsettled or misappropriated funds, and escalate them promptly given that these funds belong to the billers.
• Investigate fraudulent or suspicious transactions processed through the Division's switching services, working with participating banks, sponsoring banks and PASA.
• Preserve transaction records and audit trails needed to support regulatory, sponsoring bank and law enforcement requirements.

4. Recovery and Reporting to Authorities
• Open criminal cases with the South African Police Service and liaise with SAPS, the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority.
• Support reporting obligations under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, the Cybercrimes Act and, through Compliance, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act.
• Work with Legal and banking partners to block funds and recover losses.
• Give evidence at disciplinary hearings and in court when required.

5. Fraud Prevention and Controls
• Identify control weaknesses from investigations and recommend improvements.
• Track trends and typologies and share them with business, Technology and Product teams to improve detection rules.
• Support financial crime awareness training across the Division.

6. Reporting
• Maintain financial crime incident and loss statistics.
• Prepare monthly fraud reports for the Compliance & Risk Manager, Enterprise EXCO and Group Risk & Compliance.
• Share fraud information with SABRIC and industry bodies where appropriate.

Experience
• 3–5 years' experience in financial crime investigation within banking, payments or fintech.
• Experience investigating electronic payment, prepaid or transaction-processing fraud.
• Experience in transaction and data analysis.
• Experience presenting evidence at disciplinary hearings or in criminal proceedings.
• Experience working with SAPS, banks and SABRIC is advantageous.

Qualifications
• Degree or diploma in Forensic Investigation, Policing, Law, Risk Management or a related field.
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or similar certification is advantageous.
• Working knowledge of the Criminal Procedure Act, PRECCA, the Cybercrimes Act, FICA and POPIA.
• Strong Excel skills; SQL or data analytics tools are advantageous.
• Strong interviewing and report-writing skills.
• Clear criminal record and credit record.
• Valid driver's licence and willingness to travel as required.