The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has to warn the general public to be cautious of a new scam were fraudsters are attempting to steal money by logging into personal bank accounts and requesting for a system generated verification pin code which is automatically sent to the account holder’s phone number.
Senior Public Relations Officer Namukolo Kasupa said that according to complaints received by the Commission, hackers are calling the unsuspecting consumers and requesting them for the verification codes by claiming that they have similar phone numbers with the account holder when in fact not.
Mr Kasupa said consumers are therefore advised not to disclose verification codes to anyone as doing so would allow the hackers to access and steal their hard-earned money.
He also said individuals who are found in such situations are advised to report to the Zambia Information and Communications Technologies Authority (ZICTA) by calling on the toll-free line 7070.
“The Commission is also warning the scammers to desist from engaging in such fraudulent conduct and anyone found guilty will be liable to imprisonment for three years as provided for under Section 308 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia,” he said.
