New 'change of banking detials' scam hits freight industry

Quick-thinking and a risk
management plan saved a
Namibian freight company
from losing almost R500 000
in a ‘change of banking details’
scam which reportedly cost
Namport R1.2 million earlier
this year.
The scammers send out an
email letter, on the scammed
company’s letterhead,
advising customers of a
change of banking details. The
unsuspecting customers then
transfer funds owing into the
new account.
Gert Liebenberg, owner of
the Windhoek-based Hardap
Freight Services (HFS), told
FTW that the serious crime
unit at the Namibian Police
Force (Nampol) had told him
that a syndicate was operating
the scam, confirming that there
had been several other incidents
where companies had lost large
amounts of money
Liebenberg said one of his
clients had received an e-mail
letter – on an old company
letterhead with the old physical
address – advising them that
the company’s banking details
had changed and that all
payments needed to be made to
the new account. “Our clients,
The Namibian, owed us close to
half a million rand as we handle
the country-wide distribution
of the daily newspaper,” he said.
The circulations and
operations manager at
the newspaper, Hofney
Kanadjembo, received the letter
and was aware that HFS had
a policy that only Liebenberg
himself notified of any major
account changes.
“Another reason I was
suspicious was that the e-mail
address was off – it was a
generic Google one,” said
Kanandjembo. HFS had also
just recently changed banks
from Standard Bank to the
Bank of Windhoek which was
another red flag for him and
he immediately contacted
Liebenberg directly.
Liebenberg has opened a case
of fraud with Nampol and it
has emerged that the fraudulent
account number – 1006 390
0775 with branch code 051 001
– is from Absa bank in South
Africa, and not Standard Bank
as advised in the scam letter.
He told FTW it was “possible”
that the syndicate relied on
inside knowledge but that it
was not proven at this stage.
Chairman of the Bankers’
Association of Namibia,
Christo de Vries, said that the
association was aware of the
scam. He noted that a quick
response from clients and their
reporting of the various scams
enabled the banks to respond
more quickly and warn other
clients as well. “Unfortunately
Phishing scams are on the
increase and therefore the
Bankers’ Association will
continue to create awareness
amongst the clients of banks on
the different types of financial
fraud. This will ensure that
clients are more alert and are
able to recognise fraudulent
schemes and scams.”