Absa Bank Kenya is under scrutiny again after a recent incident reported by a customer. The customer claimed to have received a call from someone pretending to be from the bank, promoting a new mobile money product. Alarmingly, the caller had access to the customer’s sensitive information, including their national ID, email address, and full name.
The customer, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed his concerns on social media, saying, “Hi Cyprian, today I have been conned by insiders at Absa Bank. They called me about their new mobile money products and had all my details. I refused to share my banking information and hung up.”
Shortly after this call, the customer received another call from a number officially linked to Absa Bank. This time, the caller claimed that there had been an attempt to withdraw money from the customer’s account and urged immediate action to secure his funds. Trusting the legitimacy of the call, the customer provided his account number, believing he was protecting his money.
However, when he later checked his account, he was shocked to see that his balance was nearly zero. “Little did I know they were working together. They wiped my account,” he lamented. This incident raised serious questions in his mind about the bank’s security measures. How could a call from an official bank number lead to such a scam? He wondered if the bank’s employees or systems were compromised.
The concerns didn’t end there. The customer shared his story on Facebook, hoping it would caution others. “I don’t have many followers, but I hope this helps someone,” he added.
This incident has reignited fears about Absa Bank Kenya, especially in light of past data breaches. Over the last year, the bank faced a lawsuit concerning a Ksh 1.5 billion data breach that exposed sensitive financial information. New Mega Africa Ltd accused the bank of failing to protect its data, leading to unauthorized exposure of confidential information.
Reports have surfaced about ongoing issues at the bank’s data centre in Westlands, where employees allegedly stole customer records and sold them on the black market. Customers continue to receive unsolicited marketing messages from companies they never signed up for, indicating a significant breach of data privacy.
Furthermore, the problem extends to individual branches, where employees reportedly collude to inflate sales figures. By manipulating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), they share profits at the end of each month, leading to unethical practices.
With these alarming stories, customers are left wondering how secure their personal information is with Absa Bank. The ongoing fraud and data breaches have undoubtedly created distrust among the bank’s clientele, prompting urgent calls for stronger data protection measures. As this situation develops, many are left questioning the integrity of the bank and the safety of their personal data.
