Suspected cricket fraudsters have been targeted by South Africa's National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with just a week to go before the World Cup opens, it was reported on Saturday.

Vusi Mavimbela, head of the NIA, said that his organisation was monitoring arrivals in South Africa for individuals named on an International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit's list of suspects having links to cricket betting scams.

"We have to protect the integrity of the World Cup and if we have information that one or more people on the list were coming into the country, we will monitor them," Mavimbela was quoted as saying in Independent Group newspapers.

"We know that there are third parties normally involved and if they are communicating over the internet they may be using codes, so it is a huge task.

"But we will do as much as we can to make sure that this World Cup and its integrity is not compromised."

Mavimbela also said that his organisation believed South Africa was free of the threat of terrorism.

"The information at our disposal shows that there is nothing that will disrupt the games," he said.

"We have offices in all nine provinces (of South Africa) and the World Cup has been made a priority."

The tournament starts on February 9 with a match between South Africa and West Indies in Cape Town.

The World Cup is based in South Africa from February 9 to March 23. Six of the 54 games are taking place in Zimbabwe and one in Kenya.