Romance scam horror: R520,000 vanishes from FNB account while victim was 1,000 km away

A 46-year-old North West woman, Zenani, has been seeking answers from First National Bank since November 2022 after she discovered that an amount of R520,000 which she had received as pension had vanished.

In February, IOL published the story of Keneilwe who alleges she does not know how her R2 million pension was transferred from her FNB account. She insisted that she was not present when her hard-earned money was transferred, and said she never gave anyone her banking app passwords.

In the case of Zenani, (not her real name but her full details have been given to FNB), the Mahikeng-based woman told IOL that her bank statements indicated that the money was withdrawn from an FNB branch located at Northgate Shopping Centre - a place she had never been to.

“On November 3, 2022, I went to the bank to withdraw R10,000 at Swartruggens FNB which I wanted to share among my family members as I had resigned. After the withdrawal, I checked the SMS notifications on my phone, only to realise that there had been a withdrawal of R520,000 the previous day. I thought I was dreaming,” she said.

After gaining her strength, Zenani said she approached the FNB branch officials at Swartruggens seeking an explanation.

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“The FNB lady in the bank explained to me that I had withdrawn money at Northgate Mall in Johannesburg. I told her I didn't even know the place. She then phoned the Northgate branch, and she also requested my bank card, and I gave it to her. After a conversation with her colleague at Northgate, she told me that my bank card was matching the bank card that had been used in Joburg,” she said.

Zenani said she was told that her withdrawal limit had also been increased. 

“I asked the FNB officials at Swartruggens if it would be possible for me to walk into the bank and just make a withdrawal of such a huge amount of money and they said it was not possible. They said prior to the withdrawal, I would have to give a request to the bank,” she said.

“Also, the FNB staff told me that when the withdrawal was made at Northgate Shopping Centre, a funeral cover policy, with my first-born child as a beneficiary, had been opened. At that time, I could not even talk because my mind was everywhere.”

Zenani said on three occasions, she returned to the FNB branch at Swartruggens, seeking clarity on what had happened to her money.

“They asked me to report to the FNB fraud department. In seeking answers, I travelled to FNB Rustenburg, thinking they would help, but I had no luck. They said it was a Home Affairs Department case. I then went to open a case at Swartruggens police station, and they transferred the matter to Honeydew police station in Gauteng,” she said.

In February 2023, Zenani said she was called by a police officer from Honeydew police station, who introduced herself as the investigation officer. The police officer said she needed clarity from Zenani as she could not understand what had transpired. 

“I explained everything to her, and she said she will call again. After two weeks, she called again, and she said she had gone to the FNB Northgate Shopping Centre but she had not managed to speak to the manager who was said to be in a meeting. She said she couldn't wait for the manager, and she had left. That was it,” said Zenani.

In November 2023, Zenani received an SMS from the SAPS informing her that her case was being closed because there were leads for the police to pursue.

IOL contacted the SAPS in Gauteng, who stated that the case had been moved to North West. However, police in North West said the case was being handled in Gauteng.

Zenani believes at the heart of the heist is her boyfriend at the time, a man she knew as Ivan Tusime who claimed to be from Kenya. The two had met around April 2022 around Mahikeng, and exchanged numbers. 

The police case was opened against Tusime, who has since vanished after the transactions. Zenani insists she never shared her bank details, pin or passwords with Tusime.

The love relationship started around June 2022 and Zenani would visit Tusime at his rented place at Mahikeng. 

Days later, Tusime claimed to have bought a house at Riviera Park. When Zenani visited the new home, Tusime told her that he has a prayer room in the house, and according to his religion, he goes in to pray at 7pm. 

“When we went into the prayer room, I noticed there was traditional cloth inside, and on the corner, there was a little house thatched with grass. It was so scary, but he assured me that I should not be afraid. We knelt down and he started chanting in his language. When he finished chanting, there was a scary movie-like sound coming through the wall entering that small grass house,” Zenani narrated.

“Then there came a voice of an old man greeting Tusime, and they saw he had a visitor. I tried to run away but he grabbed my hand. Then the voice greeted me and added that I must not be scared. To cut a long story short, I was forced to go to different banks to apply for loans. After the loans were approved, I was specifically instructed to open an account at FNB, and to transfer all the money into the FNB account.”

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The woman, who was working at a district hospital in North West, said she was then told to resign from her job. 

Since last year, IOL has been running the scammed series where several women and men have lost their hard-earned money including pensions and bank loans through romance scams. The victims have regrouped and are knocking on different doors, demanding answers.

Part of some of the victims’ complaints include allegations against FNB, with the victims insisting that FNB was the bank preferred by the scammers. Many of the scammed victims said they did not have FNB accounts, but during the complicated scams, they were encouraged by the scammers to open and transact using FNB.

In December, IOL submitted a dossier to FNB containing the details of several customers, including Keneilwe and Refilwe, who were scammed. The victims insist that the bank did not protect them during physical visits to FNB branches, or online.

Responding to the widespread allegations, last month FNB’s spokesperson Sizwekazi Mdingi said detection and prevention of fraud are of utmost priority to the bank.

“FNB takes all fraud cases seriously and undertakes to investigate each case thoroughly in line with its zero-tolerance approach to criminality. In terms of the outlined fraud cases and their modus operandi, the bank sympathises with all victims of these incidents, and the detection and prevention of this fraud remains of utmost priority to the bank,” she said.

FNB said it is committed to ensuring that its bank accounts are managed in compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements.

“In reference to the large cash withdrawal requests made in these cases, FNB can confirm that it has strict processes and procedures in place that need to be adhered to upon receipt of a cash requisition or withdrawal request from a customer. Such a transaction cannot occur without the appropriate audit trail being in place,” said Mdingi.

She said the bank is obligated to give its customers their personal funds when requested to do so, provided all the necessary protocols have been followed.

“As a bank we have implemented strong measures, including robust monitoring systems and well-trained staff, to spot and handle any suspicious activities. These steps, combined with our continuous enhancements in security strategies and partnerships with law enforcement agencies, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to keeping our customers safe,” said Mdingi.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

IOL