Published 13th Oct, 2023

By Emmanuel Uti

Changing passwords on suspecting intrusion into one’s bank accounts and contacting the bank to inform them of suspicious activities are usually the right steps to prevent fraud, but all this didn’t stop fraudsters from stealing Isinibo Jumbo’s money.

Jumbo, a Rivers State-based man, told FIJ that he not only changed his password and wrote to Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) but also refused to link a new ATM card to his bank app, yet scammers still pilfered his money.

He said that before the unfortunate series of unauthorised debits befell him, he inadvertently disclosed sensitive information about his account on July 31 to grifters posing as employees of GT Bank, which made him lose N135,000.

Debit alert for an unauthorised transaction

After realising that he made a costly mistake, Jumbo said, he changed his passwords on August 3 hoping the fraudsters would not be able to access his account. It was successful, but this did not prevent his account from a future recurrence of unauthorised transactions.

According to Jumbo, on August 8, just a day after he received a N150,000 deposit in his bank account, he discovered an unauthorised debit of N50,000 took place on his account.

“This prompted me to call my bank to make a formal complaint. I instructed GT Bank to put a restriction on my account. I changed my password the second time and received a confirmation email from the bank that my password had been changed,” Jumbo told FIJ.

To further secure his account, Jumbo wrote to and visited the GT Bank Port-Harcourt GRA Branch on August 16 to lift the restriction placed on his account, which was successful.

He then requested a new ATM card but would not link it to his app because he wanted to find out if the fraudsters still had access to his accounts.

“At 7:15 pm on the same August 16, my account was debited, and before I could call the bank to place a restriction, they made away with N60,000. I visited the bank the following day to complain. The bank asked me to write a letter stating what happened, which I did, but I am yet to hear from GT Bank,” he said.

What surprised Jumbo in all of this, he said, was how GT Bank failed to protect his account but kept addressing the matter as an erroneous transfer, and not a breach on their security system.

“I have changed my password twice, but I keep having unauthorised transactions. Nobody from the bank has reached out to me, and they keep using NoReplyTo@gtbank to send me mails,” he said.

“I understand that the safety and security of my account is ultimately my responsibility. However, I have taken all necessary steps to secure my account by contacting the relevant authorities and filing a formal complaint with the bank to no avail.

“On September 7, GT Bank emailed me, saying the last two unauthorised transactions on my account were erroneous withdrawals, and that they were not responsible for them.”

FIJ emailed GT Bank for comments on the matter, but the bank had not responded at press time.

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