Bankers upscale fraud prevention

THE Bankers Association of Zambia (BAZ) has warned the public not to entertain calls from unknown people asking for banking details or some business opportunity as this in most cases is fraud.

The fight against fraud coupled with the use of easy- to-use tools becomes more urgent now given the fact that any continued delay would create an impression that fraudsters were winning.

This is according to BAZ fraud prevention and security committee member, Vitalis Hamusonde.

Mr Hamusonde said this view would be dangerous for the country especially the youth as they would grow up thinking fraud was lucrative business.

Fraudsters, he said, would stop at nothing to achieve their goal of reaping where they did not sow.

“It therefore goes without saying that defeating the fraudster requires similar determination, courage, zeal and force. This understanding of fraud portrays a picture that fraud is insurmountable, huge and complex,” he said in his write-up on beware of manipulative tactics of fraudsters.

Mr Hamusonde emphasised that fraud could be fought using simple tactics such as not entertaining calls from unknown people asking for banking details or some business opportunity.

He said other simple techniques included avoiding over interaction on social media as this might weaken the guard, and always remembering that fraud was real.

“The beauty of using simple methods of fighting fraud is that many people from all walks-of-life can be armed with at least one or two methods of fighting fraud. If this were to be the case, then the fight against fraud would not only be a preserve for law enforcement agencies but for everyone.

“The easy way to fight fraud is to remind ourselves of basic principles of life that we tend to forget or simply brush aside. These principles could be the game changer in the fight against fraud,” Mr Hamusonde said.