FNB Black Friday warning
FNB has warned South Africans to stay vigilant against fraudsters actively targeting them on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The bank recently published a guide on its mobile app explaining the typical techniques that fraudsters use to steal people’s money during the annual shopping promotion.
FNB said a common tactic was to create enticing offers through fake sellers on online marketplaces and set up entire fraudulent websites that mimic those of well-known retailers.
“Their promotions seem attractive, featuring unbelievable discounts and limited-time deals,” the bank said.
“Once you make a purchase, you never receive your items, and your financial or personal information is compromised.”
To avoid falling victim to these fake websites, FNB advised users to check seller reviews and ratings and to look for the https:// and padlock symbol on websites.
The last two indicators are used to indicate whether a website is encrypted and whether users’ information is protected from interception by malicious parties.
However, it is essential to emphasise that scammers can also set up HTTPS-encrypted websites, and any information you provide there will still be visible to them.
The bank also recommended avoiding payments via instant EFT or direct transfers to unknown sellers and discouraged clicking on random or unknown links in social media or messages.
A second common technique was to send emails or SMSs claiming to offer “exclusive” Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to try and convince victims to share their card details or personal information.
“Stay safe by never clicking on links from unexpected messages,” FNB said. Go directly to the retailer’s official website or app,” FNB said.
The bank also said that genuine deals would never require people to hand over banking details through a link.
Fraudsters may also try to convince you to share personal or payment information through phone calls — a tactic known as vishing. FNB recommended the following steps to avoid phishing, SMSishing, and vishing scams:
- Shop directly on official apps or websites
- Check the sender’s email address or number carefully
- Delete suspicious emails and messages immediately
- Don’t click on any links or open attachments from unknown senders
- Don’t share your banking details, card information, OTPs, or passwords with anyone — not even someone claiming to be from the bank
Beware unsolicited delivery notifications
In addition to impersonating retailers, fraudsters also pretend to be couriers, customs agents, and other parties responsible for delivering online orders to your door.
The typical modus operandi is to contact customers and claim that a package pending delivery requires payment, card details, one-time PINs (OTPs), or passwords to be released or delivered.
A trusting individual might assume that this is for one of the Black Friday or Cyber Monday orders they placed, but FNB emphasised that a legitimate courier will never ask for these details.
If you have ordered an item online, you should track delivery progress only via the courier’s official website or app and should only enter the tracking number there.
FNB also recommended that South Africans report suspicious calls, emails, or SMS messages asking for payments for deliveries to their courier and bank.
For those who plan to shop Black Friday deals in stores, FNB has advised special caution to be taken when using ATMs to withdraw cash or perform other transactions.
“Fraudsters often target busy queues and distract you while you’re at the ATM and may swap your card without you noticing,” the bank said.
“Some fraudsters may even pretend to help or offer assistance to distract you while they manipulate the machine. “
This can result in unauthorised withdrawals, compromised card information, or even full account access if combined with other stolen data.
The basic steps to follow to avoid this from happening include refusing to accept help from anyone at the ATM, even if they are friendly, and never to let your card out of your sight.
You should also cover the ATM PIN pad when entering your PIN and checking for tampering on the ATM for signs of card skimming or cloning devices.
Lastly, when making payments in person, use tap-to-pay as frequently as possible. These payments are more secure and have a lower inherent risk of cloning or skimming of your card details.
Loading ...