In a span of two weeks, unsuspecting FNB clients have fallen victim to sophisticated fraud schemes, resulting in financial losses exceeding N$3.8 million.
The latest incident involved a 60-year-old retired teacher whose FNB account was drained of N$1,100,000.00. According to the police, the crime occurred between Wednesday and Friday last week when unknown suspects accessed her account and transferred the funds to various FNB accounts.
The ordeal began with a phone call from someone posing as a NaTIS official in Outapi, offering to assist her husband in obtaining a driver’s license. The victim and her husband traveled to Outapi, only for the caller to redirect them to Oshakati, claiming he was unavailable. There, individuals impersonating police officers seized the victim’s cellphone and personal information, cautioning the couple against disclosing the encounter.
By the time the couple visited the bank, all the funds had been transferred. No arrests have been made, and the stolen money has not been recovered.
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In another incident reported about a week earlier, a 53-year-old female farmer in Tsumeb lost a staggering N$2.7 million to fraudsters. The criminals contacted her, pretending to be FNB officials investigating suspicious activity on her account. They convinced her to share her ATM card details, after which funds were swiftly withdrawn from her personal and business accounts.
Both cases highlight growing concerns about banking fraud in Namibia. Victims have expressed frustration and fear, while FNB has yet to issue a statement regarding the incidents.
Police have urged the public to remain vigilant against phone scams and avoid sharing personal or banking information with unknown individuals. Investigations into both cases are ongoing.