Capitec Bank warns customers of a banking scam doing the rounds in South Africa
With the way things are going right now, more criminals are finding creative ways of scamming people. Keeping up to date with practicing safe and secure banking is more vital than ever before.
The country is in a state of shock with regards to the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases, considering the new variant and the level 4 lockdown that has us all readjusting to lockdown life.
So when it comes to crime, of course, there is more reason for criminals to become more innovative in their approaches. So much so that many of us, even those who are considered as street smart, can potentially fall victim to a scam.
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Capitec Bank has taken the reigns by informing their customers that there is a phishing scam on the rise. Phishing has become a common banking scam amidst South Africa.
"Phishing is a cybercrime in which a target or targets are contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, banking and credit card details, and passwords," Phishing.org states.
Social engineering sees fraudsters convince a target to share their information, by gaining their trust. For example, the criminal might read you your account number or ask you if you still have a debit order for a certain store. They’ll know something personal about you.
The scammers aim to shock you and create a panic, so that they prompt you to share your personal details with them. According to the banks, the scammers even mimic the background music that banks use so that you feel safe and secure in the familiarity.
The thing is that banks have traditionally always informed their customers that they should not hand out their information to anyone. But sometimes it can be so confusing with the way the scams reel you in.
The best advice we can give is, if it doesn't feel right, then hang up. Rather visit your branch if you are uncertain about anything. The thing is that with the advances in technology, there will always be a chance of uncertainty because as much as the advancement allows us to progress, it also allows hackers and cyber crimes to grow.
We want people to get into the habit of never sharing their personal information with anyone. You wouldn’t give your house keys to a stranger, for example, so why would you share your pin?
Be safe out there, it just takes one moment of fear that could leave you in a bind, and with the way things are going with the country, we have to keep extra safe.
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