Vodacom
scam a 'world first' - 14 July
A R7m scam, allegedly perpetrated by a Vodacom employee,
represented a world first in breaching SMS-based (short message
signal-based) banking integrity, top security firm Kaspersky Lab
has said. On Monday, a Vodacom technician appeared in the
Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court on charges of fraud and
contravening the Electronic Communications
Act. According to The Citizen newspaper, the Vodacom
employee, Mbokodana Christopher Khoza, is at the centre of the
grift involving R7m. Nedbank, Absa, Capitec, FNB, Standard Bank,
and KwaZulu-Natal's Ithala Bank number among banks affected. - Fin24
website
Vodacom
'scam' : tip of iceberg? - 14 July
In what is believed to be South Africa's biggest computer scam to
date, a Vodacom technician and co-accused (allegedly both
syndicate members) appeared in the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes
Court yesterday on charges of fraud involving around R7 million
and contravening the Electronic Communications Act. The Vodacom
employee, Mbokodana Christopher Khoza was insistent on bringing a
bail application yesterday. - Moneyweb
website
Cape
link to bank SMS scam? - 15 July
The police's Commercial Crimes Unit in the Western Cape is
investigating a handful of cases in the province that could be
linked to an elaborate banking fraud syndicate that was bust in
Johannesburg recently. A Gauteng newspaper reported on Monday that
police had arrested a Vodacom engineer and another person for
allegedly stealing millions from Vodacom network users by using
SMS technology. - IOL
website
Hidden
price of a banking scam - 18 July
Christopher Khosa had it all - a loving wife, two children and a
third one on the way, a good job at one of SA's biggest companies
and a R26 000 monthly salary. Then he threw it all away. On
Monday, the 39-year-old Vodacom employee from Olifantsfontein,
north of Johannesburg, and an acquaintance known only as
“Martin” appeared in the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court
in connection with an Internet banking scam involving diverted
SMSes, believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Now
Khosa and Martin face at least 15 years in jail if convicted of
fraud. On Friday, Khosa's shocked pregnant wife, Joyce, told the Sunday
Times she had noticed a change in her husband's demeanour at
the beginning of this month. - The
Times website