FNB assists ********** in conducting their *****ulant business.

On 28 March 2018 we placed an order for a gasstove at a company AppliancesOnline (AO). We promptly received an order number and payment instructions. The next day also a call from the sales person confirming the payment of R7500 plus R400 delivery charges was received in their FNB account. On 6 April I received first an email and later a phone call from a person identifying themselves as from a logistics company called Trans Express TE), confirming that my delivery was to take place the following day, but that customs have stopped the delivery due to an unpaid customs handling and clearance fee. The email contained a seemingly true facsimilee of an SARS invoice stipulating an amount of R3450 that needed to be paid to release the product from the Customs hold in Isando. The payment was to be made to an account held by FNB. I refused to make the payment. The sales person from AppliancesOnline phoned me to confirm that it is just an administrative issue and they will refund me the money the moment the product was released. I still refused to pay. I received a number of threatening emails and phone calls from both AO and TE about extra charges and a contractual obligation I had to pay this. I immediately asked for a reversal of the order a refund of my money. A 10 minute search on Google gave me the name and signature of the person who signed the SARS invoice as a clothing designer in Australia. It cleary was a case of attempted *****. On the following Monday morning, I phoned the FNB *****line. They took note of the case and confirmed that the two account numbers were active numbers at FNB and that indeed the amount I paid could be seen on the AO account number. They then asked me to do two things: (1)open a case at the police and thereafter (2) submit the case number with all supporting documentation (including the proof of ********** signature use and the ******* presentation of a SARS document, to their ***** email line. Which I did by 18h00 on Wednesday 11/04/2018. I also reported the matter to SARS. I followed up again with the FNB ***** line by email on 28/6/2018 To date I have had no response from FNB and later checking with AO indicated at this time the FNB account was still active and operational. Today 21/08/2018, no action has been taken, no follow up made and my refund has not taken place. I therefor have to assume that FNB is complicit in this clear case of *****. I will both open a case with SAPS (bless their souls) and the Bank ombudsman to try to get this matter rectified. I will also submit the matter to NEWS24 as, in my opinion 4 months is indeed sufficient time for FNB to have taken some action.