HESSEQUA NEWS - Many people in the region have been a victim of internet fraud, resulting in them losing big amounts of money - in fact thousands.

It was as if a craze hit Stilbaai, because at this one specific branch almost five people were contacted and asked to read their one-time-pin (OTP) to the person who contacted them. This lead to victims speculating that someone inside the branch is giving out clients personal information.

What was strange to one of the victims is the fact that the person had every little detail of personal information.

“My cell phone rang and the person called me by my first- and surname. Asked me if I live at my specific house address. He told me that they got a notification warning that someone is trying to get into my bank account via the internet. ‘Are you home? Wait a moment I will phone you on your landline.’ Which he did. Everything seemed so professional and in place. I have been banking with Absa for many years and none of this has ever happened.”

After the scammer told the victim he will be receiving a SMS with a code which the victim should read back to him. This was in fact the OTP code which the thief needed to seal the deal. Another SMS came through also with an OTP code which the victim was told to read back to him. Both transactions were successful. “How did they get all my information? Even my address? This is what I do not understand.” The victim in this specific case has not been refunded.

South Cape Forum asked Absa to respond.

• How can a criminal get hold of your credit card number as well as the CVV number? How does it happen that a persons’ personal details including home address, home telephone number etc. is in possession of a fraudster?
  Criminals can get hold of this information (credit card, CVV number) when customers make payments i.e. purchase and pay at a cashier with a point of sale device. Customers should never let their cards out of their sight and be vigilant as to how the card is used when making payments.
• Apparently another person from the same branch was a victim. Speculations exist that someone from inside the branch is leaking out information. Can you investigate?
  Absa will investigate. The card CVV is only known by the customer and our staff do not have access to the customer card CVV. Customers must be cautious when they transact. If a customer’s card is left out of sight, a third party can use their CVV fraudulently during a transaction. Customers are advised never to share their Card PIN, CVV or OTP with anyone – the bank will never request such information from you to provide any service required. Where fraud occurred at a non-3D secure merchant, the bank will evidence the activity and reject fraudulent transactions back to the merchant. If the customer is defrauded at a non-3D secure merchant the bank will refund the customer.
• What is done to prevent this from happening again?
  While we always endeavour to set up proactive mechanisms to protect our customers, each and every fraud reported case is treated as an opportunity to introduce new controls within our systems to prevent further fraud. Assessment of such fraud is conducted with preventative system controls being implemented to ensure that customers do not experience such fraud in the future.
• What does Absa do to protect their clients information?
  We take security very seriously. Absa has systems which monitor suspicious fraud transactions and should such transactions be detected, customers are contacted immediately to validate their authenticity. We use a number of security mechanisms to increase our customers’ online banking security, to prevent online identity theft and other threats. These include the Two Factor authentication (2FA), which makes it increasingly difficult for criminals to access our customers’ accounts. Absa customers can also keep track of all their transactions using the Notify Me service.
• What does the bank do to try and catch fraudsters?
  Absa investigates each fraud case. The investigation involves interviewing victims in order to trace fraud perpetrators. Absa also works with relevant authorities including South African Police Services to combat crime and seek arrests and prosecutions of fraud perpetrators where they are identified.
• What should someone to do when they suspect fraud and after they have been scammed or in case of fraud?
  Absa customers are advised to immediately call our Fraud Hotline on 0860 557 557 to report any suspicious activity on their profile. Our banking application also allows customers to inform the bank via our app of any suspected fraud activities on their accounts.
• Secure 3D merchants
  Not all websites are securely encrypted, so customers need to ensure that they use secure websites that are 3D secure.
  In order to purchase goods/services online the customer will be asked to provide the card number, expiry date and the CVV. In certain instances a merchant may decide to request cardholder authentication via a One Time PIN (OTP) as a 3D secure merchant. The customer will receive a text message via Masterpass or verified by Visa. Not all merchants will do this all the time but when it is done it is very important to note that this reference number (OTP) must only be typed into the pop-up screen which appears as part of your online buying process in order to complete the transaction. Customers are advised never to share their Card PIN, CVV or OTP with anyone – the bank will never request such information from you to provide any service required. Where fraud occurred at a non-3D secure merchant, the bank will evidence the activity and reject fraudulent transactions back to the merchant. If the customer is defrauded at a non-3D secure merchant the bank will refund the customer.

Some tips for a good 3D secure experience include:

• Ensure you have the card you wish to pay with ready.
• Ensure you have your mobile phone with you to receive the OTP or you know what your PIN or Password is, depending on what your bank’s authentication method is.
• After entering your PIN/Password, the system may take a couple of seconds to authenticate your PIN/Password. This is normal – do not close the browser.
• If you receive an error message, be sure to read the message on the screen. You may have entered your PIN/Password incorrectly in which case you will be allowed to retry. Although minimal, there may also be other reasons why the transaction failed, in which case we recommend that you follow the instructions on the screen or contact your bank for further assistance.

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