ABSA Bank for Misconduct, False Allegations, and Abuse of Process

I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against ABSA Bank for what I believe to be serious misconduct, false allegations of *****, and ********* debt collection practices.

In January 2025, I purchased a vehicle financed through ABSA Bank. Unfortunately, approximately one month later, the company I was employed at experienced a sudden shutdown, resulting in my loss of income. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to keep up with my monthly vehicle payments.

After nine months, I was unexpectedly contacted by a debt collection agent acting on behalf of ABSA in October 2025. The agent informed me that I could not make any payment arrangements because ABSA had allegedly opened a ***** case under case number 316/09/2025. I was shocked and immediately requested clarification, as I had never committed or been involved in any *****ulent activity.

The agent then advised that ABSA had opened the case under the pretext that I had submitted false bank statements and payslips at the time of my vehicle purchase. This accusation was completely unfounded and defamatory. I immediately provided the agent with copies of the original documents submitted during the purchase process, including my authentic FNB bank statements and payslips, and I requested that ABSA contact FNB Forensics to verify the authenticity of the documents.

Despite my cooperation, ABSA and the appointed agent failed to respond for several weeks. Thereafter, the same agent contacted me again, apologizing for the “misunderstanding” and stating that the ***** case was not related to false documents but was instead about alleged NaTIS *****. The reasons for these shifting accusations appear arbitrary and without basis.

ABSA’s handling of this matter has been unprofessional, *********, and damaging to my reputation. The false ***** case opened with SAPS appears to have been used as an ************ tactic and as a means of exerting undue pressure to recover outstanding arrears — a clear abuse of process. This conduct is unacceptable and deviates from lawful debt recovery practices, which should have been handled through civil proceedings or legal representatives, not through false ******** allegations.

I strongly believe ABSA has: • Misused state resources (SAPS) for debt collection purposes, • Acted in bad faith by making false and defamatory accusations, • Failed to conduct proper internal investigations or due diligence, and • Violated standard banking ethics and consumer protection principles.

I am therefore requesting the Ombudsman’s office to urgently investigate this matter, as ABSA’s conduct has caused me severe emotional distress, reputational harm, and unnecessary legal anxiety.

Additionally, I will be submitting formal complaints regarding the debt collector’s conduct to both the Consumer Financial Debt Council (CFDC) and the National Credit Regulator (NCR).

Please acknowledge receipt of this complaint and advise on the next steps to ensure that ABSA is held accountable for this serious misconduct.

Yours sincerely, Mr KM Adams