The red flags often sound the same
Be careful of a message saying your account will be closed within minutes, a parcel awaits a small payment, you have unexpectedly won money or a relative urgently needs money from a ‘new number’. Other signs include strange spelling, a link that looks slightly wrong, a request to share your screen or instructions to install a new app.
A caller may already know your name, identity number or the last digits of an account. That does not prove that she is from the bank. Personal information can come from previous data leaks, social media or documents. Do not try to catch the fraudster out; end the conversation.
OTP means: for you alone
A one-time PIN, bank PIN, password, card CVV code and notification asking you to approve a transaction must never be shared with a caller or in a message. SAPS safety advice, based on SABRIC warnings, says that an unexpected OTP probably means someone is already trying to perform a transaction with your details.
A fraudster may claim that the code is needed to ‘cancel’ fraud. In reality, you may be approving the payment. Read every bank notification slowly. When you did not initiate the transaction yourself, reject it and contact the bank through your own secure channel.
Verify without the message’s help
Do not tap the link, call back the displayed number or use a button in the message. Open your banking app yourself, type in the known web address yourself or call the number on your bank card or the bank’s official website. For a relative’s emergency message, phone her old number or ask a question only she would know how to answer.
SARS also warns against false emails and text messages asking for payment or banking details. Check a tax matter directly in eFiling or through SARS’s official channels. The same principle applies to couriers and shops: go to the official app or website yourself.
When you have already responded
Do not wait out of embarrassment. Call your bank’s official fraud line immediately, ask for the relevant cards or access to be blocked and change passwords from a secure device. Keep screenshots, numbers, messages and reference numbers. Report a crime to SAPS and follow the bank’s instructions. Alert a trusted relative if you feel emotionally overwhelmed.
Do not pay someone who promises to recover lost money for a fee either; this can be a second scam. Use only the bank, police and recognised official channels.
Try it today
Write your bank’s official fraud number from the banking app, card or official website on a piece of paper and keep it near your phone. Agree on a secret verification question with one relative for emergency messages. Then send this line to someone you know: ‘I never share an OTP; I call back on an official number myself.’ Proverbs 14:15 fits digital safety well: a prudent person considers her steps.