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Fake ID used for SIM swap

Responding to a report on Tuesday that Media24 CEO Esmaré Weideman lost R360 000 over the weekend in what appears to be a hit from a SIM-swap syndicate, Fin24 user Eben van Heerden tells his story:

The same happened to me insofar that someone using a fake ID (I have a copy of the clearly fake ID that was used) did a SIM swap, managed to get access to my cheque account and transferred R110 000 from my cheque account to a Capitec Bank Holdings [JSE:CPI] account.

This also happened on a Sunday afternoon.

The fraud department of Absa Group [JSE:ASA] phoned me to inform me that fraud had taken place. The outcome was that they told me it is not their problem if someone gets access to my cheque account via the internet, since it is my user id and PIN that was used and I am supposed to keep that safe.

In their letter to me they also claimed that only alleged fraud took place, thereby insinuating that I might have been part of it all.

Two questions remain to be answered:

First of all, Absa has all the technology to determine that fraud has taken place - why can't they use the same technology to stop it? When I asked them this same question, they said IT IS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY!

Secondly, we have to provide all our details to the cellphone providers just to be able to get a phone. Why on earth are these details not on a central system where anyone in any store countrywide can cross check the IDs being used to do the SIM swaps?

Again, the answer was that they can't help if the ID is fake, but even more concerning is the fact that they hide behind the SMS that they send indicating that you must let them know if you DON'T want the SIM swap to take place.

The fact that you might be out of reach or your phone might be off is also, as per their recorded statement, not their problem either.

So I believe both Absa and Vodacom Group [JSE:VOD] as well as MTN Group [JSE:MTN] display a serious lack of responsibility towards the community, and it should be shouted from the rooftops!

Have you ever been scammed? Share your experience and you could get published.


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