Beware of change of banking details scam, warns MTN SA
MTN would like to inform customers and the public at large to be vigilant of a latest scam, whereby fraudsters are sending fake letters informing clients of change of banking details.
MTN has established that unscrupulous individuals are sending out letters and/or e-mails claiming to be from MTN SA/Standard Bank and/or Absa - commonly known as "phishing" - many of which look very authentic, as they make use of the corporate logos and corporate colours to convince you that the letter is legitimate.
The latest scam that has recently surfaced sees fraudsters e-mailing MTN customers the following letters that are designed to look legitimate:
Attention: Our Valued Clients!!
WEB CAPITAL ATT: ROBERTA (ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT) TEL: +27 11 715 3600
URGENT: NEW BANK DETAILS Please be advised with immediate effect our banking details for all payments due to MTN Business (Pty) Ltd are as follows: Bank Name: ABSA BANK Account name: MTN BUSINESS PTY LTD Branch code: 632005
Account Number: 4081659820
Please do not send funds to our previous account as it is now reserved for our forex / International clients, it is now a USD Account. If you currently have outstanding invoices with our previous bank details please ensure the above details are used when making payment, failure to do will result in your payments being declined an un-allocated. We thank you for your continued cooperation and trust the above is in order.
Bianca Pretorius
Credit Control Department
"We would like to remind customers to be always cautious about such letters being sent to them. MTN will like to stress that customers who are not sure if the content of the letter is legitimate or not must always contact our customer care, collections department, banking query department, billing department or visit their nearest MTN Branded Channel Store to verify the authenticity of the letter," says Lily Zondo, General Manager for Business Risk Management at MTN SA.
"We urge our customers and the public at large to remember to never divulge your personal documents or details such as bank accounts and ID numbers to anyone, even when asked to do so by a letter that seems legitimate," Zondo concludes.
MTN
MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: "MTN".
As at the end of 30 June 2010, MTN recorded 129.2 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East. Visit http://www.mtn.com and http://www.mtnfootball.com.