{"id":627300,"date":"2026-01-31T09:59:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T07:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=627300"},"modified":"2026-01-31T10:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:00:23","slug":"tymebank-fraud-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/security\/627300-tymebank-fraud-warning.html","title":{"rendered":"TymeBank fraud warning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South Africa\u2019s largest digital-only bank, TymeBank, warns that remote access trojan (RAT) attacks are one of the fastest-growing and most dangerous scams targeting South African consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Bonolo Sebolai, Head of Fraud at TymeBank, these scams rely on tricking customers into giving criminals direct access to their devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRAT scams are particularly dangerous and extremely sophisticated because they are designed to use the device at the same time as the customer without any clear signs of a device takeover,\u201d said Sebolai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe criminal doesn\u2019t steal your login details but rather takes control of your device.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sebolai explained that RATs are a type of malicious software that allows a fraudster to remotely control a person\u2019s phone or computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In South Africa, these scams typically start with a call or message claiming to be from a bank\u2019s fraud or security department, mobile network provider, courier company, online retailer, or government department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Victims are told there\u2019s an urgent problem with their account, device, or expected service and are instructed to install an app or click a link, often sent via WhatsApp or SMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This leads them to install software on their device that supposedly solves the problem. Once installed, the scammer has full control over the customer\u2019s device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They can see the customer\u2019s screen, capture PINs and passwords, intercept one-time passwords (OTPs), and even initiate banking transactions in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo the bank, it can look like the customer is making the transaction themselves because the criminal is actually using the customer\u2019s own device,\u201d said Sebolai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fraudsters exploit urgency, such as warnings that an account is \u201cabout to be blocked\u201d or that a service can\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese scams thrive on pressure and authority,\u201d said Sebolai. \u201cIf you\u2019re being rushed to act immediately, that\u2019s one of your biggest red flags.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other red flags consumers should never ignore include requests to install software or apps to \u201cfix\u201d a problem, being asked to stay on the line while logging in, or instructions to approve transactions to \u201creverse fraud\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A key rule: Your bank will never ask you to install remote access software or share your PIN or OTP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cat-and-mouse game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bonolo-Sebolai.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-627301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bonolo-Sebolai.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bonolo-Sebolai-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bonolo-Sebolai-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bonolo-Sebolai-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bonolo-Sebolai-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bonolo Sebolai, Head of Fraud at TymeBank<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As scams become more sophisticated, so must banking security, said Sebolai. \u201cIn 2026, bank-grade security means monitoring behaviour in real time, not just checking passwords,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt TymeBank, we use real-time behavioural monitoring and risk-based controls to detect suspicious activity \u2014 even when fraudsters are using a customer\u2019s own device.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This includes real-time fraud detection and monitoring for unusual behaviour, such as signs of remote device control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sebolai said banks have adopted risk-based security that adapts to the situation and proactive alerts when something doesn\u2019t look right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crucially, strong security shouldn\u2019t create unnecessary friction. \u201cThe goal isn\u2019t to make banking harder for customers,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s to stop criminals while keeping everyday banking simple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid becoming a victim, Sebolai advised people to only download apps from official app stores. \u201cAnd don\u2019t be afraid to hang up and contact your bank directly if something feels wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou should act immediately if you suspect your device has been compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As digital banking grows, fraud attempts will continue, and Sebolai said awareness remains one of the strongest and most foundational defences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn banking, trust isn\u2019t something you just say, but rather something you prove every day,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that starts with keeping customers informed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TymeBank says one of the fastest-growing and most dangerous scams targeting South African consumers involves something many people have never heard of: RAT attacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":561669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10106,27],"tags":[103087,80775,55400],"class_list":["post-627300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-banking","category-security","tag-bonolo-sebolai","tag-remote-access-trojan-rat","tag-tymebank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627300"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627300"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":627303,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627300\/revisions\/627303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}