The chief of the Western Cape`s detective services, assistant commissioner Andre du Toit, has confirmed that an arrest has been made in connection with the Absa e-banking fraud case.
The case involves around R500 000 which was transferred from the bank accounts of Absa customers in Bellville in the Western Cape.
The Western Cape commercial crimes unit headed the investigation, with the assistance of the local police computer crimes unit. They have questioned several people in connection with the case, and arrested a white man in his 30s at a guesthouse in the area yesterday.
The man, who is from the Cape Town area, has not been charged yet. The police will issue a further statement about the case tomorrow.
Absa says it cannot comment on the case at this stage, and has referred all enquiries to the police. The bank adds that despite the concerns about the security of Internet banking, it has gained 1 273 new clients in the past four days. The bank says it now has over 405 000 Internet banking clients.
Alfie Naidoo, managing executive of Absa e-channels, says this proves that clients are loyal to Absa and know Internet banking is safe.
"Absa would like to thank its clients for standing by us in the investigation. The growth in new registrations shows that the public trusts the Absa brand," he says.
The bank appealed to clients to remain vigilant about guarding their e-banking identity and the security of PCs.
Earlier this week, Giles Embleton of Electronic Law Consultancy, a cyber law expert speaking at the Marcus Evans Cyber Law conference in Cape Town, said: "A conviction in the Absa case is necessary to boost public confidence in the Internet as a medium to do business."
Related link:
Absa security breach story roundup
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