First National Bank (FNB) Namibia has cautioned customers to be on alert and avoid falling prey to scammers especially over the weekend.
A media statement issued on Friday by the bank’s Head of Retail Transactional Banking, Jerome Namaseb, said a scam has come to the bank’s attention, whereby fraudsters attempt to access and manage customers’ eWallet accounts on the FNB App.
‘We have seen this new scam making the rounds and urge our customers to take note of how it works to protect themselves,” he said.
Namaseb said the fraudster will select a random cellphone 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 access to their eWallet for future transfers and withdrawals,” said Namaseb.
‘We would like to tell our customers that the OTP is sufficient to control as it seeks authorisation of the account/wallet holder. As with any PIN or password, do not give your OTP to anyone as this step is crucial to protecting your funds,” he added.
He further noted that should customers receive any calls claiming to be someone from the bank, and asks for their confidential information such as an OTP or a pin or password of any kind, customers are encouraged to hang up the phone immediately and report the incident to the bank.
“Please remain vigilant and protect your hard-earned cash at all times,” Namaseb concluded.