By: Seli Baisie
The banking sector in the country is becoming the “prime target” for scammers, tricking customers and stealing their money.
On November 9, I received a call from this number (0303960535) identified by truecaller as Ecobank Office, claiming to be a customer representative.
But the “customer representative” was a fraudster, and the call led to all my savings being stolen from my account.
I quickly lodged a complaint with the bank and was promised the case would be investigated without any assurance of reimbursement.
A day later, I received calls again from these numbers: 0307020700, 0302610400, purporting to be customer representatives from Ecobank and offering assistance to help me block my account and reset my PIN.
When I reported the incident to my bank, the response was not encouraging, so I decided to share my experience with my followers on Twitter to caution them against the scammers so they don’t fall victim.
Scam alert! Don’t fall victim.
Yesterday, this number (0303960535 identified by truecaller as Ecobank Office) called me, purporting to be a customer rep from @EcobankGhanaPLC. He mentioned my full name, told me EcoBank was rewarding customers, and that I was one of the winners.
— Seli Baisie (@seli_baisie) November 10, 2022
Twitter users shared their personal experiences, and some confirmed that they, too, were affected.
Here are Tweets from victims of Bank scam;
‘My wife was a victim’
In a tweet, @ghkwastero24 said his wife was a victim of bank scam.
According to him, EcoBank admitted their system has been hacked but did not refund the stolen money.
So is @EcobankGhanaPLC going to pay bck the money?bcos my wife is a victim here.the only thing they told her is that is not from the bank but Their system has been hacked
— okyere Godfred (@ghkwastero24) November 11, 2022
In another tweet, @lifeofpius admitted he was a victim too.
He said: “I had a similar issue, they called and asked for the number on my Ghana card, yes, they mentioned my full name too, @EcobankGhanaPLC this is a tremendous cyber security issue, you really need to look into it, because the scammers have very accurate information and it’s scary.”
I had a similar issue, they called and asked for the number on my Ghana card, yes they mentioned my full name too, @EcobankGhanaPLC this is a tremendous cyber security issue, you really need to look into it, because the scammers have very accurate information and it’s scary.
— PIUS🇬🇭 (@lifeofpius) November 11, 2022
So true.. They scammed a friend and took all his money from the account.. it’s been two weeks now. The bank has not said anything sensible… In this economy!! https://t.co/LwYUYTz1Pq
— Ekua (@nkrumah_nana2) November 10, 2022
That’s the new scam strategy. There are people in house in ECOBANK either doing this themselves or giving information to other to do the scam.
ECOBANK doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it. @EcobankGhanaPLC @GroupEcobank https://t.co/KUxOl8jbBV— KING GREYBEARD I (@niidarku_ankrah) November 10, 2022
This number called my godmother and scammed her of GHC7,000.00. I’m still in pains https://t.co/jpCtbQJEJg
— MKN Darlington 💫 (@Nanorki) November 11, 2022
This nearly happened to a colleague at my office some days ago about same Ecobank buh we realized the intent of the caller and started playing games with him by leading him on and feeding him with wrong data! Ecobank gotta rise above this
— Boss Daddy (@niiaroma) November 10, 2022
@GTBankGhana did same…promised reimbursement from January till date hmm…the stress alone made me give up https://t.co/tluoTuOFlD
— Segu (@Mr__Gaisie) November 10, 2022
Chale, sorry ma’am.
A man arrived from 🇩🇪 months ago and visited my office with same story & the money was what he was going to buy items for his unborn child.Sorry once again. https://t.co/OMp8E6JLQ7
— Griffiths Asante (@RGBekoe) November 10, 2022
Others accused bank employees of the fraudulent act, stating that the way scammers had full customer details and the level of professionalism displaced was concerning.
Trust me,some staff from the bank have a hand in this….I remember when mtn momo scam started, 2 of their workers from back office were caught as the brain behind some of the scam https://t.co/mnonAf0sIY
— Erica’s bald head ❣️🌟 (@Dr_Casey_) November 11, 2022
And I believe it in my guts it’s their own workers or former workers doing that. It looks too genuine to not fall for it no matter how exposed you are.
— ABREFI.™ (@evans_otu) November 10, 2022
That’s the new scam strategy. There are people in house in ECOBANK either doing this themselves or giving information to other to do the scam.
ECOBANK doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it. @EcobankGhanaPLC @GroupEcobank https://t.co/KUxOl8jbBV— KING GREYBEARD I (@niidarku_ankrah) November 10, 2022
Do not fall Victim…..SCAM ALERT
BUT REALLY @GroupEcobank @EcobankGhanaPLC must settle victims because the Bank has the responsibility to PROTECT THE CASH……#paythevictims…….
THIS SCAMMING MUST STOP ✋️ 😫— REBECCA EKPE (@rebeccaasekpe) November 11, 2022
Meanwhile, in 2021, the Bank of Ghana issued a fraud report stating that the banking sector in Ghana lost GH¢61 million through fraud and other banking malpractice.
According to the Bank of Ghana, 53.46 per cent of the incidents of fraud reported in 2021 involved staff of the financial institutions and the upsurge in losses recorded for the period was due to the increased use of online payment platforms for fraudulent transactions.