You’ve probably seen the adverts for Aura, the American service that promises to protect your identity, monitor your personal information and alert you to suspicious activity.
It sounds useful. There’s just one problem: Aura’s identity protection services aren’t available in South Africa.
And South Africans face exactly the same risks: stolen ID numbers, fraudulent credit applications, exposed passwords and personal information circulating on the dark web.
The good news? We have alternatives.
What does Aura actually do?
Aura combines identity theft protection, credit monitoring, dark web scanning, personal data removal and identity recovery assistance into one subscription.
We don’t have a direct South African equivalent offering everything in one package, but several services provide similar protection.
5 options available to South Africans
1. TransUnion TrueIdentity – Identity and credit protection
One of the closest local alternatives to Aura. Depending on your subscription, features include:
- Credit alerts for suspicious activity.
- Dark web monitoring of personal information.
- Identity theft recovery assistance.
- Identity theft insurance, subject to policy terms.
Website: https://www.transunion.co.za/
2. SAFPS – Free identity fraud protection
The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service offers free Protective Registration.
This helps alert participating financial institutions to take extra precautions before granting credit using your identity.
Particularly useful if your ID has been lost, stolen or compromised. It is not a universal credit freeze.
Website: https://www.safps.org.za/
3. Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection – Monitor your digital footprint
Helps identify exposed personal information, data breaches and compromised online accounts.
Useful for discovering where your information may have been leaked. Check South African subscription availability before purchasing.
Website: https://www.bitdefender.com/
4. Have I Been Pwned – Free data breach checks
Enter your email address to discover whether it has appeared in known data breaches.
You can also register for free notifications about future breaches.
Website: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
5. Norton 360 – Online and device protection
Offers antivirus, malware protection and other security features. Some subscriptions include VPN and dark web monitoring, depending on the country and plan.
Remember: device security is not the same as full identity theft protection.
Website: https://za.norton.com/
Which should you choose?
| Your concern | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Someone stealing your identity | SAFPS and TransUnion |
| Fraudulent credit applications | TransUnion credit monitoring |
| Leaked passwords or email addresses | Have I Been Pwned |
| Personal information on the dark web | TransUnion or Bitdefender |
| Viruses, scams and device security | Norton 360 or Bitdefender |
| Identity theft recovery assistance | TransUnion TrueIdentity |
What about removing your personal information from the internet?
This remains a challenge for South Africans.
American services such as Aura offer data broker removal, but these services largely focus on US databases.
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) gives you certain rights to request correction or deletion of personal information. However, it cannot guarantee removal from international databases, historical breaches or criminal websites.
There is currently no simple service that can erase all your personal information from the internet.
5 things you can do today, for free
- Check your email on Have I Been Pwned.
- Investigate SAFPS Protective Registration.
- Check your credit report for unfamiliar accounts.
- Enable transaction and security alerts with your bank.
- Use strong, unique passwords and multifactor authentication.
The bottom line
You don’t necessarily need an expensive subscription to protect your identity.
My recommendation: Start with SAFPS, check your credit record regularly and use Have I Been Pwned. If you want more comprehensive monitoring and recovery support, investigate TransUnion TrueIdentity.
No service can guarantee that your identity won’t be stolen. The objective is to detect suspicious activity early and limit the damage.
We may not have Aura in South Africa, but that doesn’t mean we’re without options.
Have you used an identity protection service in South Africa? Share your experience in the comments.
Bronwyn Johnson | Click Safe Online — Keeping Kids Safer Online