Author: Joel Cedras

Scammers are taking over bank accounts, often by paying account owners for a One Time Pin (OTP). People who have their bank accounts hijacked are called “money mules”. Here we explain why this happens, and what needs to be done. Judith Hawarden must have been excited when she paid R5.5-million to ENS, the attorneys handling the sale of her new house. Unfortunately, she didn’t realise that the email she had received with the bank account details wasn’t from ENS but from a scammer. The email address ended ensafirca.com, not ensafrica.com, and quite understandably she didn’t notice this. Before any of…

Virtual mobile provider uConnect allows customers to buy SIM cards without verifying their IDs. uConnect asks for an ID number and address when one orders a SIM card, but does not ask for proof. South African law requires that sellers register the ID and residential address of their customers. But the law is badly enforced and thousands of crimes are committed using fraudulently registered or stolen SIM cards every year. Mobile provider uConnect is selling SIM cards online without properly verifying the identity and residential address of its customers. This contravenes RICA law and makes it easier for fraudsters to buy SIM…