A Zenith Bank customer, Rebecca Enobong, lost almost N140,000 to fraudsters between December 13, 2021 and January 12, 2022, despite initiating account restrictions on December 12, 2021.
She exlplained that 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.
“My email was not responded to, but I was getting debit alerts, and my account was cleared”.
The first debit came on December 13. It was a N19,900 payment made for 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.
To Afrointroductions Online Au, she lost N9,000. WISH.COM SAN FRANCISCO CA deducted about N106,800.
Frustrated by these 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
Table showing debits made on Enobong’s account in December and January
When Zenith Bank was contacted, a customer service agent said the matter was being investigated
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
