mangogrooveworkshop
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 posted on 6/7/06 at 05:42 AM |
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So you want to use internet banking sir. Scary stuff
'I could see my money being taken online'
Lee Rondganger
July 04 2006 at 05:05AM
A South African Internet user watched in horror as her bank account dwindled in front of her eyes - the latest victim of hackers who have penetrated
banking protection.
In the past month, fraudsters have gained access to the online accounts of clients from First National Bank, Standard Bank and Absa, and stolen
thousands of rands.
The fraudsters have found a way of hacking into personal or business accounts and then transferring money to a cellphone prepaid account. All three
banks have confirmed that their systems have been breached in the past month and said they were investigating.
In an incident last week, a fraudster hacked into the account of Boaz Chilala, a First National Bank client, and swiped R10 500 from him.
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'I am no longer confident about Internet banking'
First National did not want to say whether the money had been transferred into a cellphone prepaid account. Chris Kotze, spokesperson for FNB Online,
said Chilala would be reimbursed.
While the banks say the hacking incidences are "infrequent" and "isolated", Renee du Toit, who has a business account with
Standard Bank, has been hacked into twice in the past six weeks.
Du Toit, who owns a business in Johannesburg, first had her account hacked into on May 16 and again last Friday. On both occasions, money was
transferred from her account to various MTN prepaid cellphone accounts.
"The first time it happened, they transferred R180 four times from my account. Standard Bank accused me of giving out my PIN, which I found
ridiculous. In the end I had to fight with them to reimburse me," she said.
Shortly after that incident, Standard Bank gave Du Toit new PINs and made her change passwords.
'Somewhere down the line the clients have compromised their PIN'
Despite this, a hacker was able to gain access to her account on Friday.
"I was at home when I received an SMS saying that I had just logged on to Internet banking. I got the fright of my life and rushed to switch on
my computer to see what was going on, but I could not log on to to the (banking) website," she said.
In a panic, Du Toit called Standard Bank's Internet support centre, where she informed a consultant what was going on.
"While I was speaking to him I could see these people taking money from my account. First R540 was transferred and then another R540. I was
screaming and shouting at the guy, saying 'Please stop this, please stop this'," she said.
Within minutes R4 860 had been swiped from her account, and more could have been taken had the consultant not closed it down.
"It was scary watching that happen. I could not believe that someone had been able to access my account," she said.
Du Toit's colleague, Shalima Maharaj, who banks with Absa, fell victim to the same scam the same day.
"When I went into the bank to see my statement, I noticed that R180 had been transferred five times from my account to various MTN prepaid
accounts. I was totally shocked and I am no longer confident about Internet banking," she said.
Christo Vrey, general manager of Absa's digital channels, said the fraudsters were probably using a key-logging device that tracks a
user's key strokes to determine the password.
"They seem to be using the prepaid because it leaves less of a paper trail," he said.
Eric Larsen, spokesperson for Standard Bank, said that for the past few weeks they had been tracking the working of the syndicates involved.
"For anybody to log in to a person's account they require that person's PIN and bank card number. Somewhere down the line the
clients have compromised their PIN and password, whether willingly or unwillingly," he said.
MTN refused to comment. A spokesperson for Nedbank did not return calls from The Star.
o This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on July 03, 2006
MMMMM gives one food for thought
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Macbeast
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 07:31 AM |
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And people sneer when I say I never, ever use my credit card number on line 
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andyharding
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 08:53 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Macbeast
And people sneer when I say I never, ever use my credit card number on line
There is more risk using it offline. I have never been the victim of online fraud while I have had my card cloned in a petrol station. In addition,
the Consumer Credit Act stipulates the bank has equal liability with you if you are ripped off and have to give you your money back. It might be a
pain at the time but if your a victim of fraud on your credit card you'll get your money back. That's why people sneer...
Are you a Mac user or a retard?
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Macbeast
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 09:16 AM |
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Oh sure, you get your money back, but as you say it's a pain and you don't get it back overnight
It's about minimising risk, not eliminating it entirely
When I tried to change my e-mail address with e-bay, they wanted my card number AND the authorisation number off the back "so they could
identify me".
Let them sneer
[Edited on 6/7/06 by Macbeast]
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martyn_16v
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 10:58 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Macbeast
When I tried to change my e-mail address with e-bay, they wanted my card number AND the authorisation number off the back "so they could
identify me".
Are you sure that was actually eBay? Sounds awfully like a phishing scam that one 
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Dick Axtell
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 12:05 PM |
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Internet Banking?
Simple remedy - rest your account to "read only".
At least you can still check on your money, but have to manage it via phone. Just make sure you are alone, indoors, when you make the call.
Work-in-Progress: Changed to Zetec + T9. Still trying!!
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gingerprince
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 01:21 PM |
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Having your credit card snaffled isn't always a bad thing - just get one with good bonuses.
A friend of mine had her credit card snarfed to the tune of 10 grand a couple of years ago. She got the money back of course, and kept the air miles
she earned on the card from the transactions. Paid for a flight to the USA! :O 
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Macbeast
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 02:31 PM |
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It does, Martyn, it does.
What made me really suspicious was I don't remember having to give credit card details when signing up to e-bay. I have never sold, only
bought.
Anyway, a bit of healthy paranoia never hurt anyone
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peterriley2
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| posted on 6/7/06 at 03:05 PM |
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you dont hav to give a credit card when joining ebay- i certainly hope you didnt reply to the email
Joel
If you dont respect yourself, dont expect respect from anyone else
Live your dreams, dont dream your life
Women only want you for one thing- everything!
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