Tag: Banking Ombudsman

The need for trust within the banking sector has, in recent years, never been more important than it is today. Recent times have seen the South African banking public being exposed to news of bank failures elsewhere and if that was not enough worry for the consumers, their stresses are further aggravated by their inability to meet their repayment obligations to their creditors brought about by the rising global cost of living crisis and the ongoing energy crisis.

All bank customers have a right to expect to be treated fairly, reasonably and ethically by their bank. This right is reinforced by the banks undertaking not to unfairly discriminate any customer on grounds such as marital status, gender, age or race in the provision of banking services or in the quality (and terms) of the services that are offered to the consumer.

There are two recent matters that were investigated by our office where two private banking customers fell victim to the same scam under the exact same circumstances. The story behind convincing the victims to disclose their confidential banking information was new. However, the basic scam remained the same, as did the results.

The Festive Season is a time when most South Africans, like the rest of the world, will be looking to spoil their loved ones by purchasing them gifts. Over the past few years, South Africans have been lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the discounts that are offered on Black Friday (the last Friday in November) and Cyber Monday (the Monday immediately following Black Friday).

South Africa is in the middle of one of the most trying times in the country’s history. Unemployment was on the rise which will only worsen in the aftermath of the current situation. In addition, tensions are boiling over turning into violent acts and destruction which are currently disrupting society. This includes bank ATM’s and branches.

What are your rights when an online transaction goes wrong? The worldwide pandemic, and associated lockdown, have brought about many changes in consumer behaviour. One of which is the surge in online shopping. As South African consumers adapt to the new normal, where traditional ways of shopping are largely discouraged in favour of online shopping (in an effort to promote social distancing), the number of card-not-present transactions (card transactions that occur while the buyer and seller are not in the same place) has increased exponentially.

Consumer concerns related to COVID-19 including fears of being infected by the coronavirus while attending to their banking matters and stress related to debt issues have come to our attention. In response to President Ramaphosa’s address on the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, we urge consumers to remain calm and to follow the stringent measures in place to protect both themselves and their families. 

Unfortunately, vishing is not new, but customers may be new to the scam. That’s why we want to warn customers, particularly in these tough economic times, when consumers are more vulnerable. Vishing is a method used to trick banking customers into divulging their confidential banking details, to scam unsuspecting bank customers out of their hard-earned money.