The love relationship started around June 2022 and Zenani would visit Tusime at his rented place at Mahikeng.

Days later, Tusime claimed to have bought a house at Riviera Park. When Zenani visited the new home, Tusime told her that he has a prayer room in the house, and according to his religion, he goes in to pray at 7pm.

“When we went into the prayer room, I noticed there was traditional cloth inside, and on the corner, there was a little house thatched with grass. It was so scary, but he assured me that I should not be afraid. We knelt down and he started chanting in his language. When he finished chanting, there was a scary movie-like sound coming through the wall entering that small grass house,” Zenani narrated.

“Then there came a voice of an old man greeting Tusime, and they saw he had a visitor. I tried to run away but he grabbed my hand. Then the voice greeted me and added that I must not be scared. To cut a long story short, I was forced to go to different banks to apply for loans. After the loans were approved, I was specifically instructed to open an account at FNB, and to transfer all the money into the FNB account.”

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The woman, who was working at a district hospital in North West, said she was then told to resign from her job.

Since last year, IOL has been running the scammed series where several women and men have lost their hard-earned money including pensions and bank loans through romance scams. The victims have regrouped and are knocking on different doors, demanding answers.

Part of some of the victims’ complaints include allegations against FNB, with the victims insisting that FNB was the bank preferred by the scammers. Many of the scammed victims said they did not have FNB accounts, but during the complicated scams, they were encouraged by the scammers to open and transact using FNB.

In December, IOL submitted a dossier to FNB containing the details of several customers, including Keneilwe and Refilwe, who were scammed. The victims insist that the bank did not protect them during physical visits to FNB branches, or online.

Responding to the widespread allegations, last month FNB’s spokesperson Sizwekazi Mdingi said detection and prevention of fraud are of utmost priority to the bank.

“FNB takes all fraud cases seriously and undertakes to investigate each case thoroughly in line with its zero-tolerance approach to criminality. In terms of the outlined fraud cases and their modus operandi, the bank sympathises with all victims of these incidents, and the detection and prevention of this fraud remains of utmost priority to the bank,” she said.

FNB said it is committed to ensuring that its bank accounts are managed in compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements.

“In reference to the large cash withdrawal requests made in these cases, FNB can confirm that it has strict processes and procedures in place that need to be adhered to upon receipt of a cash requisition or withdrawal request from a customer. Such a transaction cannot occur without the appropriate audit trail being in place,” said Mdingi.

She said the bank is obligated to give its customers their personal funds when requested to do so, provided all the necessary protocols have been followed.

“As a bank we have implemented strong measures, including robust monitoring systems and well-trained staff, to spot and handle any suspicious activities. These steps, combined with our continuous enhancements in security strategies and partnerships with law enforcement agencies, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to keeping our customers safe,” said Mdingi.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

IOL