Protect yourself against fraud and theft
Report SPAM and suspicious emails to [email protected] for further investigation.
“During the Festive Season people should be more aware than ever of what is happening around them,” says Surihe Gaomas-Guchu, Corporate Communications Manager at Standard Bank Namibia. “Fraudsters prey on people in all sorts of settings and situations figuring that people are in the holiday spirit and will pay less attention,” she says.
Gaomas-Guchu shares tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of ATM and Card fraud.
She says: Always cover the hand that is typing the PIN when using your bank card. Never accept assistance from strangers whilst transacting at an ATM as they could be trying to distract you in order to obtain your card or PIN. If an ATM swallows your card, do not move away from the ATM, immediately contact your bank using the number appearing on the machine to report the incident.
Ensure that you get your own card back when you have completed your ATM transaction. Never share your PIN with anyone, including family members or bank officials.
Avoid a Holiday booking scam by following these tips:
Research the accommodation details prior to finalising your holiday bookings. Do not rely solely on the information advertised on the internet. Do not fall for offers that sound too good to be true.
Don’t get robbed of your cash. Here are a few tips:
Carry as little cash as possible.
Avoid drawing large amounts of cash from the ATM or from a branch. Do not have a set pattern of time and days when you visit your branch to deposit or withdraw cash.
Similarly, Gaomas-Guchu said they have noticed phishing emails are on the increase. Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to acquire personal details from any individual. Normally fraudsters would use an email message encouraging a targeted individual to click on a link in the message. Once you have clicked on the link it takes you to a non-secure “fake” website, which requires you to enter personal or banking details.
“Cybercriminals and spammers are sending out mass quantities of spam emails. The intent is to cause business disruptions, defrauding a small percentage of recipients that actually respond to these emails and to obtain passwords, credit card numbers and bank details,” Gaomas-Guchu further explains.
Standard Bank processes 100 million emails a month on average, of which 80% accounts for incoming email. Of all emails received, Standard Bank blocks approximately 50% as SPAM with some months increasing to 80%.
Gaomas-Guchu says, when suspicious of a mail, consider the following:
Look for spelling and grammatical errors on websites or in emails.
A secure URL will begin with ‘https’ instead of http.
Ensure that your PC, tablet or smartphone are updated at least once a week, with the latest security features.
Back-up your files and critical information regularly.
Keep distribution lists updated and regularly review addresses if you own such distribution lists.
Beware of very long website addresses. These can indicate fraudulent links which are built into the address.
Check your bank statements regularly to identify any errors or fraudulent transactions that might have been performed on your account without your knowledge.
Place transaction limits on your accounts. Do not open emails from unknown sources. Delete them immediately.
Most importantly, never ever click on a link in a suspicious email message from an unknown person.
Never open a zip attachment from an unknown source.
