Postbank heist a 'threat to the poor'

The poor must be protected from the implications of the R42 million heist that the Postbank faced this month.

Democratic Alliance shadow communications minister Natasha Michael says the New Year's Day heist points to serious flaws in the entity's security systems and this security has important implications for poor South Africans.

“The bank not only targets low-income earners and provides banking services in poor rural areas, but its systems are used in the payment of social grants.”

The SA Postbank, part of the SA Post Office, became the target of cyber crime over the first three days of January and this incident is now being investigated by the police and the National Intelligence Agency.

The Post Office is in charge of government's Trust Centre, which means government entities conducting work online and via e-mail, make use of the post office system.

The communications Parliamentary portfolio committee said the Postbank's security network needs to be tightened to prevent "hi-tech cyber heists" of this nature.

Michael says communications minister Dina Pule must implement emergency measures to protect the poor.

She adds that several key questions around the matter need to be answered.

These include which company was used to install cyber security systems for the Postbank Trust Centre; how these systems are monitored; why the security systems, implemented at a cost of R15 million three years ago, failed; how often the systems are checked for weaknesses; and who has access to the security systems?

“We are not at liberty to divulge further information due to the investigations, which are currently under way,” said Lungile Lose, spokesperson for SA Post Office.

The shadow minister also says she will request that Pule puts in place emergency interim measures to test the robustness of the Postbank's security systems, and implement improved checks and balances to ensure that all funds are kept safe.

The Postbank system is used in the payment of grants as it allows funds to be paid directly into the accounts of grant beneficiaries. More than 15 million South Africans benefit from the almost R100 billion in social grants paid annually by the Department of Social Development, according to Michael.

”If the security of Postbank's systems is weak, as the New Year's Day heist has shown, the potential for the fraudulent payment of grants is enormous.

”Minister Pule must take swift action to ensure that the integrity of Postbank's systems is improved, and that South Africans, particularly grant recipients, are protected from their potential abuse.”

However, the Post Office has said its customers' funds were in no way compromised by the incident.