Letshego Holdings Namibia has urged customers to adopt safe banking habits as fraudsters keep targeting people through phone calls, text messages, emails, and fake websites.
The company’s Head of Payments and Channels, Steve Makuchete, said customers can prevent banking fraud by making safe banking part of their daily routine.
He said customers use mobile banking apps, internet banking, ATMs and other digital services every day, making it important to protect personal and banking information at all times.
“Safe banking is never the result of one action.
It is built from a set of habits that customers practise consistently across every banking channel and device they use,” Makuchete said.
He advised customers to lock their mobile phones with a password, PIN or biometric security such as a fingerprint or facial recognition. Customers should download banking applications only from trusted app stores and install software updates as soon as they become available to improve security. Makuchete also urged customers to stay alert when using ATMs. He said people should always shield their PIN when entering it, check whether the ATM appears to have been tampered with, and avoid using a machine if anything seems suspicious.
He also warned against using public Wi-Fi to access banking services.
Free internet at shopping centres, airports or restaurants may be convenient, but it is not always secure. Customers should use mobile data or a trusted personal hotspot when logging in to banking services or entering passwords.
Makuchete said that impersonation has become one of the biggest threats to customers and is currently the leading cause of fraud-related losses in Namibia.
He explained that fraudsters often impersonate bank employees and create panic by claiming that a customer’s account has been compromised, a payment has failed, or a bank card needs to be blocked immediately.
During these calls, customers are asked to provide sensitive information, including identity numbers, card details, PINs or one-time passwords.
Similar scams are also carried out via SMS messages, WhatsApp and emails containing links to fake websites that closely resemble genuine banking sites.
“Letshego will never call, message or email a customer to ask for a PIN, password or one-time password,” he said.
He advised customers to end such calls immediately and contact Letshego through its official call centre or website instead of using contact details provided by the caller.Customers should also avoid opening links from unexpected messages.
Instead, they should use the official banking application or type the website address directly into their browser.
Makuchete said regularly checking bank account activity and keeping transaction alerts switched on can help customers detect suspicious transactions early and respond quickly if fraud occurs.
He said following these simple safety measures can reduce the risk of financial loss and help customers keep their money secure.
-newsroom@nepc.com.na
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