- A Western Cape man lost R23,800 in unauthorised transactions after his phone went missing in an Uber
- Six transactions totalling R23,800 were processed within 32 minutes, nearly four hours after the phone disappeared
- The National Financial Ombud Scheme ruled the bank was not liable, leaving the man with R19,800 unrecovered
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WESTERN CAPE - A Western Cape man is counting his losses after thieves used his stolen cellphone to drain nearly R24,000 from his bank account — and the country's financial ombud has sided with the bank.
According to IOL, the National Financial Ombud Scheme South Africa (NFO) issued its assessment on 24 June 2026, concluding that the bank could not be held responsible for the R19,800 the man never got back.
Phone left behind, thousands gone
The trouble began on 25 January 2026, when the complainant stepped out of an Uber at around 1:53pm and quickly realised he had left his cellphone in the vehicle. The driver had already pulled away, and all attempts to reach him came to nothing.
For nearly four hours, nothing happened. Then, at 5:41pm, the fraudulent activity began. Within just 32 minutes, six transactions wiped out R23,800. These included two R2,500 send-money transfers, two R2,500 prepaid voucher purchases, a R9,800 payment to an external bank account, and a R4,000 transfer within the same bank.
The complainant only reported the incident the following morning, at which point his banking profile was suspended. The bank managed to recover the R4,000 transfer but could not claw back the rest.
Bank's settlement offer rejected
The bank maintained that the transactions were carried out using the complainant's own banking profile and credentials, with no evidence of a SIM swap or password reset beforehand. As a goodwill gesture, it offered a once-off payment of R9,700 alongside the R4,000 already recovered.
The complainant turned it down. He felt the amount fell short of his actual loss and objected to signing a full and final settlement agreement. The offer eventually expired without resolution.
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Ombud's ruling
The NFO concluded that fraudsters most likely accessed the banking app directly through the stolen handset. However, it found no evidence that the bank's systems were compromised or that any staff member was involved. It also found insufficient proof of negligence or poor administration on the bank's part.
While acknowledging that the complainant appeared to be a genuine victim of crime, the ombud said the evidence did not justify making the bank liable. It directed the man to pursue his remaining claim against whoever received the stolen funds, noting that investigating or prosecuting that account holder falls outside the ombud's scope.
Woman loses thousands after sharing photo of bank card
In similar news, Briefly News reported that a woman reminded many South Africans of the dangers of sharing personal details online when she fell victim to a scam and lost about R4000 after posting a photo displaying her bank card. The distraught woman later confirmed that she lost R4000 due to purchases made on Uber Eats and Shein which she did not authorise. However, it is unclear how the purchase was successfully authorised without her approval or sent an OTP (one-time pin).
Source: Briefly News