|
JSE Share code: ASA ISIN: ZAE000013389 ABSA MEDIA RELEASE 20 July 2003 A small number of internet account holders in South Africa have just become victims of the latest international trend in internet fraud called identity theft. Absa and the rest of the banking industry are working together to combat this new crime. "Fraudsters are beginning to realise how difficult it is to breach bank security systems and are now targeting the home computers of account holders by stealing their electronic identity, mainly their PIN and access account numbers," says Richard Peasey, Absa Group Information Security Officer. An Absa investigation has confirmed that so far, only three clients in the Western Cape have had money moved from their accounts after the fraudster managed to gain unauthorised access to their computers and load software called key-stroke logging software which automatically copied everything they typed on their computers and sent it back to the fraudster without their knowledge. The software therefore transmitted information about the bank accounts typed in by the clients to the fraudster. The fraudster was then able to use this information to electronically impersonate the client and gain access to their bank accounts. A further six cases are under investigation. "Absa"s forensic team is progressing with the investigation, " says Peasey. All Absa transactions are monitored 24 hours per day, seven days a week, all year round. Absa has also called a meeting of all the information security officers in the banking industry to find ways of stopping this form of crime. "At Absa and all the other banks, the peace of mind of our clients is our first priority and whenever we as the industry are faced with a new security problem like this, we work together to ensure the safety of clients" money," confirms Peasey. Absa"s forensic team is working with industry experts to resolve the matter. "All the banks including Absa have been putting information on their websites and in their banking halls for internet banking clients about safety precautions that they should take to protect their personal information. "Internet banking is safe and clients need to be more vigilant than ever to ensure that it stays safe," says Peasey. He says that the safety precautions that clients should be taking include: To prevent key-logging: Make sure that no-one has unauthorized access to your PC. Ensure that you have the latest anti-virus applications loaded on your PC. Your local supplier will provide you with details in this regard. Make sure that the software that is loaded onto your PC via a third party is licensed. Update your operating system and browser with the latest Microsoft patches to protect your PC from exploitation. These can be downloaded from the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com. Do not open suspicious or unfamiliar e-mails. Ensure that you have control over the shared folders on your PC as a shared folder could make your PC vulnerable to unauthorized installation of suspicious software. A shared folder can be identified by a blue icon shaped in the form of a hand. General safety tips: It is important to ensure that you are at the Absa website. This you do by checking the Absa Security Certificate by clicking on the security icon. Ensure that you are on the secure Absa internet banking website by checking that the URL begins with "https" rather than "http." The initial connection to www.absadirect.co.za will redirect the connection to an available internet banking server. Always ensure the secrecy of your PIN number. Never disclose your PIN number to anyone - this includes bank staff members. A bank staff member will never ask you for your PIN. When entering your PIN information make sure that you cannot be seen - you never know who might be watching. Be especially vigilant of security cameras trained on your PC. For customers requiring clarity or additional information, they can contact 08600 08600 . For further comment, please phone: Richard Peasey Absa Information Security Officer (ISO) 082 453 7557 Alfie Naidoo Managing Executive: Absa e-channels 083 440 8223 Julie MacLiam Absa media services 082 449 7705
| Profile Group (Pty) Ltd. has taken care in preparing all information on this website, but does not accept any liability for errors or out-of-date information. | |||||||||||||
| Other Profile Group sites: FundsData Online (unit trust data) | Profile Group corporate site | |||||||||||||
| [ Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | PAIA manual | FAQs/Help | Site Map | © Copyright Reserved 2026 ] | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
