Medical lab scientist Farah Bashir, 58, experienced a devastating financial loss when hackers drained Sh2.6 million from his four Absa Bank accounts within 48 hours of arriving in Johannesburg for a two-week assignment in February 2022.
Timeline of the Fraud ¶
The breach began on February 7 when Bashir received multiple alerts about unauthorized SIM card swap requests on his Safaricom number. Despite contacting customer service, he was advised to ignore the messages. By 11:31pm, he discovered his M-Pesa access had been blocked, prompting him to check his accounts.
Upon accessing his Absa app, Bashir found Sh150,000 withdrawn from his Kenyan currency account. Further checks revealed additional withdrawals, including a complete depletion of his USD account valued at US$17,451 (approximately Sh2 million) and a Sterling Pound account. His credit card balance of Sh231,000 was also emptied by February 8.
Bank and Telco Responses ¶
Absa confirmed receiving Bashir's complaint on February 9 and later issued a
