Don’t let online and ATM scammers steal your money
With massive Black Friday specials being advertised not only in stores but online for tomorrow and over the weekend, people are warned to take extra care with their personal details and their cash.
MALALANE – The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) shared several of the most popular scams and how to avoid them.
With the “Money Bomb” scam, criminals drop a roll of paper covered with real bank notes near a victim at an ATM. The criminal draws the victim’s attention and suggests they take the money and share it somewhere private. Once in a quiet area, the victim is assaulted and their money stolen.
How to avoid robbery at an ATM:
- Don’t accept help from anyone at the ATMs, but rather to go into the bank for assistance.
- If you suspect the ATM is faulty, has been tampered with or someone is trying to distract you, report it to the security guard or bank employees and leave immediately.
- Never allow your children to draw money on your behalf.
- Only use the ATM if it is brightly lit and there are no suspicious people hanging around. Many supermarkets allow you to draw money at the till, which is a much safer option.
Kalyani Pillay, the SABRIC CEO, also explained that there has been in increase in social media account hackings. The account is hijacked or a duplicate is created with personal information criminals have stolen.
The victim’s contacts are sent a tragic story from their “friend” with a request for money. People then end up transferring money to the criminals.
READ: Online fraud scams you need to know
Pillay said that many people still click on any link or icon in strange emails and SMSs and have their personal information stolen via malware or fake websites.
People are urged not to believe unsolicited emails, not to reply and to delete them immediately.
Criminals often send emails from a bank, with a link that leads to a false site. Once you input your details, they can steal all of your information and empty your bank account.
Also be careful if someone from the bank phones you and requests your pin or other confidential information. Banks will never do this. Report and block the number immediately.
READ: A masterclass in deception – how I fell victim to ATM fraud
If you suspect that you may have already been the victim of one of these scams, notify your bank and immediately report it to the police.
