Telkom’s corporate and global customers have been made aware of a new refund scam which is currently doing the rounds, the listed telecoms giant said on Monday.
The modus operandi involved the criminals pretending to be Reuben September, Telkom’s CEO, Thokozani Mvelase, executive for Tarps (Telkom assets and revenue protection services), said. ”Under this pretence, the fraudsters telephonically tell our customers that Telkom’s banking details have changed and, as such, customers are asked to deposit their account payments into a falsified First National Bank account.”
In conjunction with the telephonic communication, said Mvelase, a fax was sent to a customer, on a Telkom letterhead, confirming the falsified banking details.
This fax was ordinarily followed by another which purported to be from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
”As a ploy to coax customers into making payments into the falsified bank account, a second fax, on a fraudulent NPA letterhead, is sent to a customer. Under the guise that the NPA represents Telkom, it further requests that payments be made into the stipulated [falsified] bank account,” said Mvelase.
He stressed that Telkom was not involved in these operations and that it had proper channels through which it communicated with its customers.
”In the event of such requests, we would like to advise our corporate and global customers to contact their respective Telkom account managers and/or credit management.
”Otherwise, they can contact Telkom’s fraud hotline on 0800 124 000 or approach the nearest police station to report these fraudulent activities,” said Mvelase. – Sapa