FNB cautions public against eWallet scam

Head of transactional banking at First National Bank (FNB), Jerome Namaseb has cautioned the public against a new scam that enables fraudsters to access and manage customers’ eWallet accounts on the FNB App.

Namaseb recently said the new scam is making rounds and therefore urged customers to take note of how it works to protect themselves.

First, a fraudster will select a random cell phone number and attempt to link the eWallet of the selected number to their own smartphone, which triggers a notification with a One Time Pin (OTP) asking to confirm if the customer is indeed the one attempting to link their wallet. The fraudster then calls the client with a fake excuse to attempt to obtain the OTP. Unsuspecting clients then give up the OTP which allows the fraudsters to access their eWallets for future transfers and withdrawals, he explained.

According to Namaseb, the OTP is sufficient control as it seeks authorisation of the account or wallet, warning that customers should not give their OTP to anyone as this step is crucial to protecting their funds.

“As with any Personal Identification Number (PIN) or password do not give your OTP to anyone. If anyone calls you claiming to be from the bank, and asks you for your OTP or a pin or password of any kind, hang up the phone immediately and report the incident to the bank. We reiterate again that FNB, will never request any security information from you over the phone and you, in turn, should never give out any information over the phone. Please remain vigilant and protect your hard-earned cash at all times,” cautioned Namaseb.-Nampa