Be cautious – holiday voucher scam on pensioner [LETTER]
They said the money has already gone off of her account.
EDITOR – Adri Meintjes, a pensioner recently moved to Warner Beach from Johannesburg.
She woke up on Wednesday, 24 June, to a call on her cellphone from a bank’s fraud department asking if they must pass payment of R1 500 to a holiday voucher. Adri said no, but it was too late. They said the money has already gone off of her account. A woman from the fraud squad advised that they had traced the criminal who is a bank employee, so to recover the money, Adri must go to an ATM and not a bank as the criminal would catch on.
Adri phoned the woman at the ATM to recover the money and was instructed how it is done. But alas, with Adri in an absolute panic and R3 000 later, the woman cuts the call.
Adri then went to the bank to report the fraud, but was told to use the phone to inform the fraud department. Only after a two hour wait on the phone and slow counter service was the phone answered and her cards cancelled.
After getting home she tested her cards and they were still active so she travelled back to the bank and spent another two hours with the branch manager, who has no way of contacting the fraud department either.
Adri wants a refund from the bank and if this shocking service continues her savings will be transferred to another bank.
DISPLEASED CUSTOMER
