The Executive Director, Retail
Banking, Access Bank, Victor Etuokwu in a statement entitled ‘Be fraud smart –
Access Bank urges customers’, last Friday cautions customers to be wary of
fraudsters whose activities have become rampant in recent times.
He urged customers to be vigilant of
the common tricks used by fraudsters to rob them of their monies.
According to him, the Nigerian banking
industry witnessed increased regulatory scrutiny following the outbreak of
COVID-19
He said bank customers had not been
spared from the fraudsters also.
Etuokwu implored customers to take
more responsibility in safeguarding their funds and offered reassurance of the
bank’s commitment to providing information relevant to identifying and fending
off fraudsters.
He said, “Over the last few months,
the number of reported fraud cases has spiked considerably. This is not unexpected as the current
economic hardships experienced due to COVID-19 has caused many to be
vulnerable.
“However, this trend has become very
disturbing, while we urge customers to become more aware of the tactics
employed by fraudsters.
“Access Bank will continue to educate
customers on how to avoid falling victims as well as deploy resources to ensure
the security of customers’ funds.”
He said, “To aid the fight against
this common enemy, we have put more power in the hands of our customers,
through the *901*911# USSD code.
He noted; We have provided a platform
through which customers can immediately deactivate their USSD profile by
dialling *901*911# from any phone in the event their mobile devices get lost or
stolen.