Staff Reporter

WINDHOEK - The Forensic Department at Bank Windhoek is receiving an increasing number of complaints from clients regarding individuals calling them and pretending to be bank officials. These individuals are fraudsters who direct unsuspecting clients to transfer funds to them via an EasyWallet transfer.

How they do it: The fraudsters call to inform clients that they are from Bank Windhoek and that they have either received funds or that they need to do a software or systems upgrade on their devices in order to gain access to the funds. The fraudsters will guide the client through an elaborate and complex process to activate the profile to receive the funds or to make the systems upgrade in order to receive the funds.

What is in fact happening is that the unsuspecting client is unknowingly being directed to make a transfer of funds via CellPhone Banking or Internet Banking to the fraudster’s EasyWallet number.

“Bank Windhoek will never call a client or any other member of the public to receive funds, send funds or to release funds for any payments, including dividends or insurance premiums,” stressed Hayley Allen, Bank Windhoek’s Head of Corporate Affairs. 

Clients who receive such calls are encouraged to report it to the Namibian Police and the Bank Windhoek Forensic Department for investigation. 

Photo: Hayley