Durban North SAPS warns of vishing scams
The station has recorded four cases of vishing so far for the month of March.
DURBAN North SAPS has urged residents to be wary of vishing scams where fraudsters pretend to be bank officials under various guises to defraud unsuspecting victims.
According to the spokesperson for the Durban North Police Station, Sergeant Nonhlanhla Shozi, vishing refers to fraudsters using phone calls that trick victims into providing personal information, like passwords or bank details.
In the last month, the station had recorded four cases where people were tricked into giving away personal banking information.
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“The suspect poses as a bank official and will concoct a story asking you to provide confidential information. In some cases, they allege there’s an issue with your account and they need your banking details and pin to rectify the issue. This information is then used to defraud the victim.
“Quite often, these suspects gain access to your account, and a One Time Pin (OTP) code is sent to the victim’s phone. The code is to authenticate various banking transactions, and the fraudsters ask the victim to send them the OTP which is when they are defrauded,” she said.
Shozi urged residents not to disclose personal banking information to anyone.
“Banks don’t ask for your account details, password, PIN or the OTP number, so that should be the biggest red flag. If you receive an OTP on your phone and you are asked to provide it, do not tell anyone. Our advice is to contact your bank to verify if your account is secure or to let them know that someone tried to defraud you,” she said.
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