Silver-tongued messages, packaged in dollars, make many level-headed people do irrational things. And technology is making it all happen at the speed of a click. You would approve of what Nedbank is doing to prevent online fraud.
In any given week there is someone with large sums of money who offers you a generous reward for using your bank account as a haven for the cash. Or a wealthy person on his deathbed wishing to leave you his fortune to continue his good deeds. Better still, you have won a European lottery you cannot remember entering.
All you have to do is provide your account details and soon your financial worries will be over. Sounds too good to be true? It is!
If you fall for this, your bank account will be cleaned out and you will be the victim of what is now commonly referred to as the Nigerian scam.
You will not be the first person to be duped by this and you shouldn’t blame ‘technology’ for making it so easy to contact you.
According to www.snopes.com, the Nigerian scam dates back as far as the 1920s, when it was known as the Spanish Prisoner con. Businessmen were contacted by someone who wanted to get the son of a wealthy family released from a prison in Spain. The family promised to shower these men with a small fortune once his release was secured. However, attempt after attempt ‘failed’ and many businessmen were suckered into paying bribe after bribe to get this fictitious son released.
Obviously, the internet makes it easier – and quicker – to draw someone into this kind of scam. The best way to win the fight against online fraud is to stay one step ahead of the game. Nedbank has proudly taken that step by becoming the first bank in South Africa to bring you Approve-it™, the latest in internet banking security.
Approve-it™ gives you complete control over fraud and phishing attacks by allowing you to accept or reject any internet banking transaction through your cellphone.
Approving transactions on your cellphone means that you’ll never have to enter sensitive information into a computer. This will help prevent you from falling prey to fraudsters and give you peace of mind knowing that your sensitive information will remain just that.
This innovative safety feature is available to all Nedbank clients and requires no registration, so you’re already well on your way to enjoying safer internet banking – at no extra cost to you.
For more information about Approve-it™ call 0860 555 111 or read more about it on http://www.nedbank.co.za/website/content/approveit/index.asp.
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How to spot a scam:
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A scam is when someone asks you for your account details so that they can transfer money into your account, or when they ask you to put money into an account before you see a product you want to buy. If you are buying something, never rely on just an email address to communicate. Be particularly wary of email addresses that you cannot trace, such as a gmail.com, webmail.com, yahoo.com or live.com accounts. If they use a business email address make sure that this is not a bogus email address that looks like a real company email address. Check it by placing the address in your internet browser to see if you can visit the website for more information. Then look for a contact number on the website and also phone them to confirm employment of the person who contacted you. |