GoTyme Bank has warned South Africans that criminals are using fake cheap flight adverts on social media to steal money from bank accounts.
George Wandsella, the bank’s head of operational risk and fraud, said the criminals target anyone looking for cheap flights online. He said the scam starts with adverts on Facebook and Instagram.
“Fraudsters are running ads on Facebook and Instagram offering discounted flight tickets to capture your contact details,” Wandsella said.
When a person taps on the advert, it asks for their name, cellphone number or other contact details. A so-called consultant then contacts the person on WhatsApp.
The consultant sends a link and guides the person through downloading an app. The criminals claim the app will unlock cheap flights.
According to Wandsella, the app contains malware. It can let criminals see or control the phone, steal banking details and make payments the owner did not approve.
GoTyme Bank urged people not to enter their details into suspicious flight adverts. It also said people should never download an app or file sent on WhatsApp by an unknown person.
“Don’t follow instructions from someone offering to help you install an app. Never share your PIN, password, or OTP. Never allow anyone to access your phone or share your screen,” the bank said.
The bank said anyone who thinks they installed a suspicious app should switch off Wi-Fi and mobile data straight away.
“Do a factory reset on the device. Then contact GoTyme Bank through our official channels using another trusted device,” it said.
Sizwe Mtuze, a professor of cyberlaw at Nelson Mandela University, said the use of electronic methods in fraud has grown sharply in South Africa. He said authorities must spend more on training officials to deal with these scams.
“Technology is changing. The methods are changing. People were using very different, rudimentary methods 10 years ago, but as technology improves, so do the crooks,” he said.
Mtuze said a colleague of his once received a link to a special offer from an airline. The airline did not exist.
“These people were taking information from the colleague’s phone, and they managed to access the bank account and took money,” Mtuze said.
He said banks should be held responsible for making sure their technology is safe and private. He also said customers need to stay alert.
“If you get someone phoning you and asking for your ID number, asking you for personal information, the light must flash immediately,” Mtuze said.
He said this is not always easy. Criminals often ask for the same personal information that banks request when they check a customer’s identity.
“That is usually where the scammers would come and pretend to be the banks or pretend to be offering particular services, and you end up sharing personal information, which is then used nefariously,” Mtuze said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by MyBroadband. Image: MyBroadband. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.