R150,750... this is how much recently-retired mineworker Tsietsi Mokapa lost in three days from eight fraudulent transactions in his bank account in just over a month.
The fraudsters used his account to buy items from online shops, including purchases from TakeALot, deliveries from Checkers Sixty60 and R5,000 worth of tickets from Computicket while the oblivious Mokapa was in Lesotho visiting his family to plan for his retirement.
The alleged fraudulent purchases are now subject of investigation by the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) after Standard Bank repudiated Mokapa's claim for reimbursement for his financial loss. The bank claims that OTPs were sent to Mogapa's registered cell number which legitimised the purchases. However, Mokapa said he could not use his SA simcard while in Lesotho.
The 59-year-old man said the bank had given him a document which showed that a sim swap was performed on his number just four days before the transactions were made.
Mokapa had worked for 27 years at Mponeng mine in Carletonville as an operator before he retired last year. His employer paid him R800,000 in January.
He opened two investment accounts at the bank's Ladybrand branch for R400,000 and R200,000.
He was left with R200,000 in his account which he had planned to use for his family needs including the education of his two children and to build rental rooms in his house in Lesotho.
“The bank lady that was assisting me told me I need to get a bank app to transact. I told her that I don't understand how the app works and she tried to download it in my phone but could not. The next day I returned with my wife and they downloaded the app on my her phone and I kept the pin,” he said.
The bank lady that was assisting me told me I need to get a bank app to transact. I told her that I don't understand how the app works and she tried to download it in my phone but could not.
— Tsietsi Mokapa
On February 18, he and his wife went to Lesotho but surprisingly two days after their departure, someone performed an unauthorised SIM swap on his number. Five days later, a Takealot transaction worth R30,004 was made from his account. On the same day, three more online transactions were processed, totalling R86,997, one of which included a Computicket purchase.
“I don't even know what TakeALot is,” he told Sowetan.
The following day another transaction of R30,000 Takealot purchase was made, followed by a Debonairs Pizza purchase for R170.39 and two Checkers Sixty60 transactions totalling R3,501.31.
He then came back to SA to inquire from the bank on March 5, according to his passport stamps.
He said his SA sim card was always in his phone.
“When I came to SA, my sim card was no longer working,” he said.
“I went to the same teller who upon arrival, acted as if she knew nothing about me. After I told one of her colleagues about everything, giving him the dates and times I visited the bank, the same teller gave me a written piece of paper and told me that I should take it to the police.
“The police sent me back to the bank as they could not understand,” he said.
A case was only registered after he involved his niece who also assisted him to lodge a formal complaint with the bank and the NFO.
Free State police spokesperson W/O Mmako Mophiring confirmed to Sowetan that a case of fraud had been registered.
“The complainant's money was transacted at an ATM through large transfer amount. The matter is still under investigation and no suspect has been arrested yet,” he said.
Standard Bank spokesperson Ross Linstroom said their investigation confirmed that the transactions were card-not-present purchases, which require the card number, expiry date, and CVV, along with OTP verification.
“These transactions were authenticated via messages sent to the client’s mobile phone. This strongly suggests that the client’s card details were compromised and that the purchase was confirmed using OTP sent to the client. The transactions in question were conducted online,” said Linstroom.
He urged their clients to remain vigilant and never share sensitive banking information such as PINs, card numbers, expiry dates, and CVC numbers with anyone.
Johan Brouwer, NFO's manager adjudication in the banking division also confirmed that they have received Mokapa's complaint.
“We are awaiting a formal response to the complaint from the bank involved whereafter the case will be allocated to an adjudicator for investigation. The complainant will be notified once the formal response has been received and provided with the contact details of the adjudicator who will be handling his case,” said Brouwer.
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