Police urge banks to tighten online security
Calls for urgent action on bank fraud
Oshana police regional commander Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria says banks must strengthen security measures to prevent scammers from stealing their clients money.
Oshana police regional commander Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria has urged banks to tighten security to prevent fraud and protect their clients from scammers.
Yesterday, Sakaria expressed concern over the increasing number of fraud incidents reported by bank customers, following a recent meeting with representatives from the banking sector, including First National Bank (FNB). During the meeting, he highlighted the growing issue of bank customers being scammed by fraudsters.
“This is not about numbers. Maybe they are not alarmed and they are taking it lightly, but we are urging banks to take this as a matter of urgency and tighten their security systems. If they can see the existing ones are not working, they should double their layers of safety,” he told Namibian Sun yesterday.
Sakaria noted that FNB in particular should be alarmed by the increasing reports of fraud affecting their clients.
Protecting customers
The regional police commander said for the Oshana Region alone, 11 fraud cases were reported between 2023 to date. Of these, 10 involved FNB clients and one a Standard Bank client, he said. The majority of these cases occurred in 2024.
FNB Namibia reportedly investigated 103 fraud incidents in November and December last year, resulting in total losses of over N$4 million.
Last month, Omusati police reported that between 15 and 17 January, a 60-year-old woman from Uukwamatsi village in Okahao was swindled out of N$1.1 million from her FNB account.
“At first they (FNB) wanted to downplay the cases, saying it is because they have more clients than other banks and would automatically record more incidents,” Sakaria said.
Sakaria said this argument cannot be correct as people continue to lose money, and most of it has reportedly not been recovered yet.
Sakaria underlined that for a layman, a “mere call” from someone asking for the identification card number or banking card numbers does not appear to be sufficient for scammers to defraud them of their money.
“If you steal my card and copy the number, it shouldn’t be so easy for you to access my money,” he stressed.
Awareness is key
Sakaria said the police have been hard at work educating the members of the public to avoid talking to strangers and handing out confidential information.
“They have so many ways of getting to the people and the people are vulnerable,” he said.
In 2023, FNB also came under the spotlight when multiple customers reported losing money through the bank’s e-wallet service. At the time, FNB said that it could not be held responsible for money lost to swindlers through this platform.
FNB communications manager Kirsty Watermeyer cautioned that the rise in digital crime does not affect FNB alone. These trends are observed across industries and globally, she said.
Watermeyer emphasised that the industry is deeply concerned and has mobilised task forces to explore additional measures to help customers better prepare for and combat fraud.
“We have always prioritised cybersecurity and have robust systems in place to combat fraud attempts. In many cases, we are able to stop fraudulent activity,” she underlined.
Watermeyer said the bank has a very close working relationship with the police and endeavours to fully support them by continuing to share awareness campaigns surrounding fraud prevention tips with the public across various platforms.
“We are in the process of visiting old age homes to share fraud prevention tips with pensioners who are often the target of cybercrime. Fighting fraud is a top priority for us and we urge the public to stay vigilant and to stop and verify if they receive suspicious calls, emails or SMSs,” she said.
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Yesterday, Sakaria expressed concern over the increasing number of fraud incidents reported by bank customers, following a recent meeting with representatives from the banking sector, including First National Bank (FNB). During the meeting, he highlighted the growing issue of bank customers being scammed by fraudsters.
“This is not about numbers. Maybe they are not alarmed and they are taking it lightly, but we are urging banks to take this as a matter of urgency and tighten their security systems. If they can see the existing ones are not working, they should double their layers of safety,” he told Namibian Sun yesterday.
Sakaria noted that FNB in particular should be alarmed by the increasing reports of fraud affecting their clients.
Protecting customers
The regional police commander said for the Oshana Region alone, 11 fraud cases were reported between 2023 to date. Of these, 10 involved FNB clients and one a Standard Bank client, he said. The majority of these cases occurred in 2024.
FNB Namibia reportedly investigated 103 fraud incidents in November and December last year, resulting in total losses of over N$4 million.
Last month, Omusati police reported that between 15 and 17 January, a 60-year-old woman from Uukwamatsi village in Okahao was swindled out of N$1.1 million from her FNB account.
“At first they (FNB) wanted to downplay the cases, saying it is because they have more clients than other banks and would automatically record more incidents,” Sakaria said.
Sakaria said this argument cannot be correct as people continue to lose money, and most of it has reportedly not been recovered yet.
Sakaria underlined that for a layman, a “mere call” from someone asking for the identification card number or banking card numbers does not appear to be sufficient for scammers to defraud them of their money.
“If you steal my card and copy the number, it shouldn’t be so easy for you to access my money,” he stressed.
Awareness is key
Sakaria said the police have been hard at work educating the members of the public to avoid talking to strangers and handing out confidential information.
“They have so many ways of getting to the people and the people are vulnerable,” he said.
In 2023, FNB also came under the spotlight when multiple customers reported losing money through the bank’s e-wallet service. At the time, FNB said that it could not be held responsible for money lost to swindlers through this platform.
FNB communications manager Kirsty Watermeyer cautioned that the rise in digital crime does not affect FNB alone. These trends are observed across industries and globally, she said.
Watermeyer emphasised that the industry is deeply concerned and has mobilised task forces to explore additional measures to help customers better prepare for and combat fraud.
“We have always prioritised cybersecurity and have robust systems in place to combat fraud attempts. In many cases, we are able to stop fraudulent activity,” she underlined.
Watermeyer said the bank has a very close working relationship with the police and endeavours to fully support them by continuing to share awareness campaigns surrounding fraud prevention tips with the public across various platforms.
“We are in the process of visiting old age homes to share fraud prevention tips with pensioners who are often the target of cybercrime. Fighting fraud is a top priority for us and we urge the public to stay vigilant and to stop and verify if they receive suspicious calls, emails or SMSs,” she said.
[email protected]
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