Remember, FNB would never ask for sensitive information via email
This is a form of fraud where criminals attempt to access your confidential information. This is done either by an email request for information or by luring you to a fake website.
In both instances, the fraudster would pretend to be from a legitimate company (for example the Bańk), and would ask you to disclose confidential financial and personal information - like passwords, credit card account numbers and ID numbers.
Golden Rules
- Never access the site via a link. Rather type the address into the browser address bar or save the address as a 'Favourite'
- If you suspect that your confidential information has been compromised, please do not hesitate to contact us on +27-(021) 839-2603 for assistance, or email info@e-fnbkcoza.com
Never reply to emails that:
- Require you to enter personal information directly into the email
- Threaten to close or suspend your account if you do not take immediate action by providing personal information
- Solicit your participation in a survey where you are asked to enter personal information
- State that your account has been compromised or that there has been third-party activity on your account, and requests you to enter or confirm your account information
- Asks you to enter your User ID, password or account numbers into an email or non-secure web page
- Asks you to confirm, verify, or refresh your account, credit card, or address information
The most important thing to remember is not to interact with the sender of the email, and definitely do not enter any of your personal or account details.
Remember, FNB would never ask for sensitive information via email.
- Fraudsters are constantly searching for better ways of committing fraud. One way involves collecting information by using key-loggers and installing these onto computers
- A key logger is a device that captures your key strokes on the keyboard, enabling the fraudster to access your passwords and other personal information.
Tips to prevent this from occurring:
- Physically check for key-loggers running in the background of your computer
- If possible, avoid using vulnerable machines for Ońline Bańking, such as those at internet cafes
- With regards to cards, fraudsters use 'skimming' devices to obtain information. The fraudster simply swipes the card through the device and thereby obtains your information illegally
- The fraudster downloads the information from the device onto a computer and then uses this to manufacture a fraudulent card
Tips to prevent this occurring:
- Never allow anyone else to handle your ATM card
- Never let your card out of your sight, for example at a restaurant
- On average, a cheque is handled by up to 20 people from the time you make it out to the time your branch pays it. This means that there are numerous opportunities for the cheque to be intercepted (especially when cheques are posted).
- Customers can also be defrauded when accepting a cheque or Bańk deposit when selling goods. Often the cheque or the deposit turns out to be fraudulent. If you are a seller, never release goods until you are certain that the payment is valid
- Always wait for the funds to be cleared before releasing goods, even if it seems to be a Bańk-issued cheque. While the cheque may appear to be genuine, fraudsters have even gone so far as to print their own cheques. The cheque could also be stolen. Even if the cheque is genuine, there are certain circumstances when Bańk-issued cheques will not be honoured.
- Never accept a faxed Bańk deposit slip as proof of payment. Amounts and details can easily be changed to reflect a higher value
- Check with your Bańk first that the correct amount has been deposited and whether the deposit is cash or cheque. If it is a cheque deposit, wait until the cheque has been paid (usually this will take seven days) before you release goods
Some sensible safety tips:
- When you write out a cheque, use a ballpoint pen instead of a pen with more erasable inks like fountain pens or felt tip pens
- To prevent unauthorised additions and/or alterations, start writing as close as possible to the left-hand margin. Leave no gaps and draw a line through unused spaces
- Any cheques that you don't want to cash should be crossed. To ensure that a cheque is paid into the intended beneficiary's account, the cheque must be marked with the words Not Transferable between two transverse lines
- Always keep your chequebook in a safe place to prevent anyone else from using it
- Always keep your chequebook separate from your credit cards, ATM cards or any other document that bear your signature. If a thief gets hold of your chequebook, but does not have a sample of your signature, a forged signature will probably not resemble yours
- All paid cheques that are returned with your Bańk statements should be kept in a safe place because they contain your signature. Fraudsters may even try to re-use these cheques
- Make a habit of doing monthly reconciliations on the cheques you have issued
- Regular recons should be done on all unused cheques in a chequebook against a counterfoil or carbon copy records
- Report a stolen chequebook to your nearest FNB Branch as soon as you discover that it's missing. You can also stop a cheque via Ońline Bańking
- Avoid posting cheques. If you need to post a cheque, place it in a non-transparent or dark envelope without any staples / paper clips, which can be felt
- Never leave any cheques that have not been completed or fully signed lying around
- There are lots of other payment methods that are safe and convenient and can even save on Bańk charges. These alternatives include Visa Cheque Cards, Visa Electron debit cards, Ońline Bańking, Telephone and Cellphone Bańking, ATM payments, debit orders and future dated payments
- SIM card swopping (also known as SIM card swapping) is a form of fraud where criminals request your cell phone service provider (SP) to transfer your existing cellphone number onto a new SIM card by pretending to be you, or pretending to act on your behalf. They usually have a copy of your ID (authentic or falsified) and other details that may convince the SP that the request is legitimate
- Once they have illegally assigned your cellphone number to their SIM card, they will receive all your calls and SMS notifications, which include your inContact and One Time Pin (OTP) messages. Your phone will stop receiving any incoming calls or messages, but SIM swop victims usually only notice this when it is too late
- The fraudsters usually use SIM card swopping as part of an extensive process which includes phishing. By the time they have swopped SIM cards, they usually already have enough of your personal Bańking details (login and password etc.) to transact on your Ońline Bańking account - with the SMS OTP as the last link in the chain
- Fraudsters are then able to add beneficiaries to your account and transfer money to accounts of their choice, and can authorise such processes with the OTP messages sent to the fraudulent SIM card
Our golden rules:
- If your phone suddenly loses signal for no apparent reason, don't simply ignore it. Contact your service provider immediately and find out whether a SIM swop has taken place.
- If your SP confirms that a SIM swop has taken place. Instruct them to de-activate your SIM card immediately and to follow the steps required when a SIM card has been stolen
Also read the rules regarding phishing.
Protect yourself
- Anyone is at risk of becoming a victim of a SIM swop, and you should never disclose any sensitive information such as login details, passwords, etc.
Tips to staying safe:
- Always be aware of your cellphone's status. If you realise that you are not receiving any calls or SMS notifications, something may be wrong
- Have your service provider's numbers written down somewhere close by. This way you can phone to check whether anything suspicious has taken place
- Make a habit of checking your Bańk statements and Ońline Bańking transaction history regularly. This way you will notice when any unauthorised activity has taken place
- Familiarise yourself with the tips on phishing.