Possible *****ulent Activity on My Ackermans Account Ignored by Tenacity/Ackermans

Public Summary: Ackermans/Tenacity allowed an unauthorised change on my account (cell number updated without my consent). Despite reporting this immediately, I am being told my account would remain blocked and would have to pay off the account and close it — while no proper investigation has been finalised. This is unacceptable and feels like customers are being punished for possible *****.

Complaint Body: On 15 July 2025, I received an SMS from Ackermans stating that my account details had been updated and that my cell number was changed to ***. I never requested or authorised this change.

I immediately contacted the call centre and was advised that my account would have to be blocked for now and I would have to visit a branch with my ID. A few weeks later, I visited one of the branches, where a copy of my ID was scanned through to accounts ( *****) department, and I was told to follow up after 48 hours. When I followed up at yhe branch via the store's telephone, I was once again requested to take a photo of myself holding my ID and send it via WhatsApp to the number they provided of ***, which I did. After all this, I was informed that my account would remain blocked and that I would have to pay off the balance and the account would be closed permanently.

Since then, I have repeatedly emailed and followed up with Ackermans/Tenacity (the account provider). I was assured that the matter was referred to the Verifications Department and that I would receive feedback within 5–7 working days, later revised to 3 working days. To date, no clear resolution has been provided despite my persistence.

I wish to highlight the following:

- My personal information was changed without my consent.

- My account security has been compromised through no fault of my own.

- I am being penalised with account closure while the root cause remains unresolved.

- Timelines provided by customer care have not been honoured, resulting in continued delays and frustration.

Desired Outcome:

A formal investigation report explaining how my personal details were changed without my authorisation.

Immediate reinstatement or fair resolution of my account without forcing me to settle or close it due to ***** not caused by me.

A clear commitment from Ackermans/Tenacity on how they will prevent similar breaches for other customers.

Closing: If this matter is not resolved urgently and fairly, I will escalate it to the National Financial Ombud Scheme, the National Credit Regulator, and the National Consumer Commission, and I will continue to make the issue public until action is taken.