Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 27-06-2019

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) says it’s concerned by the increases in crime reflecting that criminals will take every opportunity to get their hands on bank customers’ money.

Sabric released its annual crime statistics for the 2018 financial year in Sandton on Wednesday.

The stats covers violent crime around the banking industry, cash-in-transit heists, as well as online and digital fraud.

According to the latest figures, card fraud increased by 18%, Digital banking crimes by 75.3% while Cash in transit (CIT) robberies decreased by 22%.

Sabric’s Kalyani Pillay says they have also seen a sharp increase in Vishing incidents.

“Criminals are doing everything they can to get access to bank customers personal information and they are acquiring this information through phishing or vishing where they make a phone call to you to ask you for all the information they require.”

Pillay says people must be careful when it comes to their money.

“We are saying to bank customers, please that it’s not your bank staff that’s giving this information out to anybody, criminals are actually using us as individuals to manipulate us emotionally using social engineering tactics to get this information out of us. So please go onto the Sabric website and empower yourself with all of the information that the banks have made available to help their customers protect themselves.”

Pillay says to have any significant impact on the fight against all of these crimes, the collective efforts of banks, bank customers and law enforcement are imperative.

Listen to the interview with Kalyani Pillay