An Ivory Park woman has lost more than R2 000 after she responded to a phone call from someone purporting to be from a cellphone company, warning her that someone wanted to conduct a sim swap on her cellphone number.
According to the Ivory Park SAPS communications officer, Captain Bernard Matimulane, it turned out that the caller was nothing but a fraudster who merely wanted the victim’s banking pin number in order to steal her money.
“It is a pity the victim fell for the trap and ended up losing her money. This is a scam and it is called phishing. Immediately after speaking to the fraudster and having provided her with crucial details, her cellphone stopped working and that was when money was withdrawn from her bank account. By the time she reached the bank the victim was already more than R2 000 poorer,” said Matimulane.
Matimulane emphasised that phishing is when a fraudster phones the victim posing as someone from a reputable company, like a bank or service provider, and manipulates the victim into disclosing confidential information.
“This information is then used to defraud the victim, as it was the case with the Ivory Park woman and others before her. Anyone with a bank account should remember that banks will never under any circumstances ask their clients to confirm their confidential information over the phone. As part of a precautionary measure, potential victims should never entertain a call from someone asking for that information and the best thing to do should be to cut that call immediately,” added Matimulane.
Matimulane said if you lose mobile connectivity under circumstances where you are usually connected, check with your service provider whether you may have been a victim of a sim swap.
“And, above all, if you think you have been compromised contact your bank immediately.”
