Rebecca Enobong, a Zenith Bank customer, lost almost N140,000 to fraudsters between December 13, 2021 and January 12, 2022, despite initiating account restrictions on December 12, 2021.
She told FIJ she had emailed her bank to restrict access to her account after noticing a mysterious phone number was added to receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs).
The Germany-based student was notified of the change via email on December 12, and immediately wrote to the bank, requesting they restrict the account as she was unable to use her banking app and pin.
READ ALSO: Do You Have a Complaint Against Your Bank? Here Is How to File It With the CBN
“My email was not responded to, but I was getting debit alerts, and my account was cleared,” she told FIJ.
The first debit came on December 13. It was a N19,900 payment made for an online purchase via Paystack. Not long after, N9,421.95 was deducted twice from her account and transferred to HelloPayAfrica International Service.
Twenty-four hours after her first complaint, Zenith Bank replied her mail, saying the matter had been logged for investigation, and her SMS alert profile had been deactivated.
The bank’s response read:
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for your mail to ZenithDirect.
Kindly be informed that your SMS alert profile has been deactivated and the referenced transaction escalated to the appropriate desk for investigation. Feedback will be communicated once received.
Thinking her ordeal was over, she awaited the result of the investigation.
However, things went downhill again for her a month after. On January 12, 2022, she began to receive debit alerts on her account.
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To Afrointroductions Online Au, she lost N9,000. WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA deducted about N106,800.
Frustrated by this new deductions, she mailed a complaint to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
In her mail, she detailed the amounts debited, dates, bank channel and tracking number.
Amounts debited | Dates | Bank channel | Tracking num |
19,900 | 13.12.2021 | Paystack | T15041986061127600Swxjxd |
9,421.95 | 13.12.2021 | HelloPayAfrica Int Service | 83C6C0244E1894-47CBC Central pay direct debit |
9,421.95 | 13.12.2021 | Hellopay Africa int service | B20AA9EFDCC596524E1A Central pay direct debit |
4,500 | 12.01.2022 | AFROINTRODUCTIONS ONLINE AU | No number |
$16.90 | 12.01.2022 | WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA | none |
$54 | 12.01.2022 | WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA | none |
$35.90 | 12.01.2022 | WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA | NONE |
4,500 | 12.01.2022 | AFROINTRODUCTIONS ONLINE AU | none |
$16.90 | 12.01.2022 | WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA | NONE |
$54 | 12.01.2022 | WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA | NONE |
$35.90 | 12.01.2022 | WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA | NONE |
When FIJ contacted Zenith Bank, a customer service agent said the matter was being investigated.
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