Standard Bank: Victims of data breach must ‘keep a close eye on bank statements’

Standard Bank and property firm Lightstone have confirmed that they have been hit by a data breach, through property valuation platform LookSee, and that the personal information of property owners has been exposed.

LookSee is one of Standard Bank’s Home Services platforms which provides property valuations and trends. LookSee uses Lightstone as an information provider in respect of valuation and market intelligence on properties in South Africa, said the organisations in a statement on Friday.

“Regrettably the initial investigations have shown that personal information of some property owners, including individual names, identity numbers, entity registration numbers, marital status and physical addresses may have been exposed.

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“The personal information does not contain any banking details, cell-phone numbers or email addresses,” they said.

Both organisations say they have implemented the “appropriate containment” and risk mitigation plans and have reported the matter to the relevant authorities, including the Information Regulator.

“Standard Bank and Lightstone are working closely together to give this investigation the support and urgency that it deserves and have implemented immediate remedial measures. In addition, we will continue to enhance our security measures.”

The organisations have called on impacted property owners to remain vigilant and implement good security practices on all their digital platforms, including banking and social media as a precaution.

The bank has called on impacted property owners to:

• Keep a close eye on their bank statements and query any suspicious transactions and subscribe to SMS notification services offered by your financial services provider.
• While no banking details were exposed, it is good practice to ensure that passwords are secure – use long, unique passwords for all online accounts and implement strong authentication mechanisms such as biometrics where supported.
• Do not share personal details, banking details or one-time pin with anyone via telephone, text messages or email.
• Register with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) for protective registration. If anyone tries to apply for banking products; with your ID, it will be declined or referred for further review.

“Property owners concerned that their property ownership details may have been compromised can contact the Standard Bank call centre on 0860 123 000, or the Lightstone call centre on 010 001 8068.”