African Bank Warns of Personal Data Leak

According to the banking institution, Debt-IN, being one of African Bank's certified qualified debt collection partners, was targeted by hackers in April 2021.

While dedicated security experts ruled at the moment that the cyberattack didn't take place in a data breach, Debt-IN now understands that the private information of some clients, including a small number of African Bank Loan clients undergoing debt consolidation, was compromised.

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As per the bank, Debt-IN is convinced that no data transmitted until April 1, 2021, was impacted. “Debt-IN has established a solid mitigation plan to control and prevent any additional negative impacts,” they added. “We're collaborating with Debt-IN to fix the problem. We've contacted the appropriate federal regulators, and we're in the middle of notifying impacted consumers through email and SMS."

African Bank Personal Data Leak

The African Bank fraud control team has increased security steps to guarantee all clients as an extra measure. “You can seek a free safe registration list from the Fraud Prevention Services of Southern Africa (SAFPS) if you identify suspicious activity or suspect your information has been compromised,” the bank added.

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“This will notify banks and credit companies that an individual's identity has been stolen. To apply, send an email to protection@safps.org.za. Clients of African Bank should contact 0861-111-011 if they think their accounts are being used fraudulently."

It is the latest in a line of elevated security breaches and cyberattacks that have wreaked havoc on South Africa this 2021. The Hawks detained a 36-year-old accused in Gauteng last Monday, September 15, following an investigation into a data breach at Experian in August 2020.

As per the South African Banking Risk Information Center, Experian, a consumer credit approval company, suffered a data breach, compromising the personal information of millions of South African clients.

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Experian first disclosed a data breach, which exposed the private information of up to 24 million South Africans and 793,749 companies to a suspected fraudster. The Department of Justice was also recently hit by malware, and it is presently attempting to restore its systems. Transnet was the target of a similar attack in July.

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