Banking *****/**** - FNB's poor service

I have been so devasted by recent events, that I needed my story to be heard, I also want to create awareness so that others do not face the same circumstances I did. The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected my employment, this is what makes this situation so much worse. I was recently ****med out of a large some of money. I was a victim and the way FNB has handled this situation is extremely appalling, Facts from my case: I was told that since it was app approved, there is nothing that can be done- I did not approve this. • So why does the bank speak about reversal options if it cannot be done when money is basically taken without your consent? • Two* transaction attempts were made. The agent told me that one was declined – and one accepted. Both around the same time?? • Furthermore. One was rejected due to there being insufficient funds in my account. Now why would I willingly be trying to make purchases that are higher than the amount I have in my own bank account? Why was this not picked up and why was the account not frozen it appears that accounts that need to be frozen never are. Does FNB only freeze accounts that suit their own agendas? The sick part of this is that later when I later clicked on the insufficient funds message, it was an offer to TAKE A LOAN instead of the bank freezing my account. Is my money really secure with you? • I have never in my life made purchases above R5 000 on that app, since the inception of this bank account with FNB, a customer of close to 10 years. Yet it was not flagged because it was an online purchase? And yes, the bank may argue negligence which seems to be the route they tend to go, but what about the banks part in this? Why were these things not flagged? • Moreover I have always been asked to turn on my location before making a purchase, this time I was not asked, so is this really a relevant step to ensure our safety or is this a false positive sense of security they fool us with because it actually does not stop unknown transactions from leaving your bank account? • The fact that an FNB worker said the account the money is going to is an account that cannot be traced, as in it has no details, is that not enough for it to be stopped? So what is the bank really doing to benefit me, when in my time of need they are actually abandoning me. • More importantly, WHY WAS MY ACCOUNT NOT FLAGGED FOR PREVIOUS *****. Shouldn’t previously targeted accounts be flagged? And one may argue that there are too many to be flagged? That is another cause for concern! FNB is arguably one of the banks with the most clients in South Africa. So why are they not improving their methods of security the way the ********* are changing their MO.

FNB Treatment: Since the first call, I made to FNB I have received unsatisfactory assistance. One of the agents told me, on the same day the complaint was lodged, that it is very unlikely I will get my money back because it is app approved and she was right, this is why I have decided to take these steps. She went on to say the money is with VISA. I was so frantic; I even called the VISA global head office. I got nowhere. I called again around 6 pm that night. The guy I spoke to was not helpful. He spoke very rudely to me. But he did assure me I could call on Monday to speak to the investigator. Monday came, and as usual, the FNB ***** line was experiencing a large volume of calls. I eventually got through to someone, I held onto the line for close to 20min to be told the system is slow or down. He was not helpful, he also did not understand what I was saying, he began to talk to me as if I was an irate customer, yet his line was bad, and he was not allowing me to explain myself. He then went on to say that I will not be able to speak to the investigator and that such things are never allowed, my only point of contact would be the call agent that answers. He could not explain why an agent mentioned that I could. I am trying to understand, does FNB not have standard procedures? Why is one agent allowed to say I can speak to the investigator and another says that’s not possible, is there an error that FNB is not picking up? My only point of contact is an agent who is not fami**** with the procedures? How is this acceptable? On the day of the crime, on the second call to FNB I was already told that I am not getting my money back. I am then given misleading information. FNB seems quick to claim negligence, but what about the inconsistencies that exist in FNB's procedure alone? According to the Ombudsman said "***** causes financial and emotional damage so it's very important that businesses take that into account when investigating complaints" – something FNB is not doing. Why are FNB clients being considered easy targets??? FNB is leading in terms of ***** complaints on Hello Peter. Can someone please explain this to me? FNB has a lot of data at their disposal, if you really cared about your customers, why would you not use that data to create targeted information for your customers, especially when you guys have some of the highest ***** case numbers. For example, tell us why we are being targeted, tell us peak time ********* tend to call at, tell us their most active time of the month etc. If you did really care about your customers, I do believe there is much more you could be doing as a bank.