JOHANNESBURG - Over the past week or so Politicsweb contacted the big four banks requesting their help on a ‘best practice' guide on how a company should respond if they find they have been hijacked (or cloned) through CIPRO.
We noted: "The aim of these frauds is almost always to set up a bank account in the company's name so that fraud can be committed of one kind or another. So, one thing they have to do is contact all the banks to alert them to what has happened. Does [your bank] have a particular number that companies should contact if they think they have fallen victim to this kind of scam? Is there any other advice you would give?"
Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank and FNB replied as follows:
Absa:
From John Dludlu, Absa spokesperson:
The company should contact its banker, relationship manager or the bank's fraud line. In Absa's case, for instance, our customers can call our complaints' helpline on 0800 414 141 to report suspected "hijacking" incidents. Furthermore, CIPRO could also be contacted in order to find out if the details of the enterprise have been tampered with.
If it turns out that a "hijacking" incident is occurring or has taken place, you should lay a charge at the SAPS and contact the Banking Association of South Africa in order to warn all South African banks, while CIPRO and other role-players work towards reversing the "hijacking". Absa is committed to preventing fraud of any kind and we make every effort to ensure that any suspected irregular activity on clients' accounts are investigated."
Standard Bank:
From Marius Le Rouw, Head of Small Enterprise at Standard Bank:
Standard Bank's fraud hotline number is 0800 113 443. Customers suspecting fraudulent activity of any nature may call this number to report suspicions of fraud.
Standard Bank recommends that organisations/companies who suspect they have been victims of CIPRO-related fraud should report this immediately to their bank, and CIPRO ([email protected]).
Companies must ensure that any changes to their records must be communicated to CIPRO as soon as possible. Such changes include changes to telephone numbers, physical and postal addresses and directorship. Submit annual financial returns to CIPRO on time as required to by law. Always safeguard confidential documents.
Nedbank:
From Nick Jacobs, General Manager: Nedbank Group Risk Services:
1. Appoint one or two people in the company to deal with the problem.
2. Notify all employees in the company of the fraud, so they know of the problem and who to refer queries to.
3. Notify all financial institutions of the fraud: at Nedbank, notify the Nedbank call centre on 0860 555 111, stating that you believe your identity may have been taken over. Please be sure to forward any possible documentation that may assist the bank in identifying fraudulent accounts.
4. Notify all your debtors and creditors that you have not changed your banking details and that any notification of same must be routed to aforementioned contact at the company.
5. Contact the credit bureaus and request a consumer report to determine which institutions may have been making enquiries on your profile so you can determine if any accounts have been opened / credit obtained in your name.
First National Bank:
From Mphilo K. Dlamini, Senior Corporate Communications Manager, FNB Commercial Banking:
The general consensus within FNB is that you direct this question to SABRIC, because there is something SABRIC, the banks and CIPRO are doing about it and the lead agent in those discussions is SABRIC. Also, FNB feels that companies who think they have been hijacked must report that directly to CIPRO.
Update from FNB: People can go to FNB website (https://www.fnb.co.za/) which operates 24/7 - and call the number that appears at the top of the site under the tab Fraud Prevention. The staff in this number will redirrect the call appropriately or deal with the matter. We also advise that the first course of action, during busniess hours, would be for the client to immediately contact his/her account holding branch if such fraud is suspected.
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
