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.