GANSBAAI – Recent crime trends show a significant increase in incidents where residents have fallen prey to cybercrime.
Lieutenant Colonel Winston Coetzee, Gansbaai Police station commander, said the most recent modus operandi used by scammers is that they pose as employees of the bank’s fraud department, informing the victim that they have detected irregularities in the victim’s account or that they notice that an unauthorised debit order will be deducted from the victim’s account.
“The victim will be requested to share certain personal/confidential information and thereafter funds will be transferred from the victim’s account to the fraudsters’ account,” Coetzee explained.
What you should do to prevent falling victim to scams and fraud:
. Never respond to emails or cellphone messages appearing to be from your bank, which request your personal details. Remember, no bank will ever ask you to confirm or update your account details by email.. Never provide your online ID, password or PIN to anyone and never write them down or share.. Do not save your Internet banking password on your desktop.. Do not leave your computer unattended after you have entered your Internet banking password. Always log off at the end of a session.. Avoid doing Internet banking in public areas such as internet cafés, or on any computer that can be accessed by people you do not know.. Change your PIN and passwords frequently.. Apply sensible transaction limits. . Only provide your credit card details to reputable companies.
“If it looks too good to be true, it usually is,” he warned.
