SCAM ALERT: Profiles offering FNB bank loans through DMs are out to steal your personal information - stick to verified platforms
IN SHORT: Profiles using the name of First National Bank and offering loans through Facebook are scams out to get your personal information. FNB warns that these posts are "NOT legitimate FNB offerings".
Facebook profiles in the name of First National Bank (FNB) have been sharing posts offering loans with a "percentage rate from as low as 7.5%".
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FNB is one of South Africa's largest banks and the oldest in the country. The bank also operates in several other African countries, including Namibia, Botswana and Eswatini. A typical post reads:
FNB LOAN IS AVAILABLEGet your FNB loan with percentage rate from as low as 7.5%. Approval is 24 hours after application.CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW THIS POST TO REACH OUT TO US.
The posts include a link to send a direct message to the profile.
Similar posts by other profiles have been shared here, here and here. (Note: See more examples listed at the end of this report.)
But are these posts offering legit loans from FNB? We checked.
Signs of a scam
Our first clue that the posts are scams is that the profiles sharing them are not the verified profile for FNB in South Africa.
Then there's a lack of evidence. Banks usually make detailed information available for taking out a loan and make clear their terms and conditions.
Banks will also ask potential customers to come in person to a branch or work through a verified portal, such as the bank's website, to initiate a loan, as paperwork has to be signed and authorised.
Trustworthy financial institutions don't ask customers to message a Facebook page and hand over their personal information. This is a big red flag.
Asking for direct messages on social media is a tactic scammers use to phish information from social media users, most likely identity numbers and banking details.
FNB debunks fake profiles in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa
The claim has also been debunked by FNB on their official Namibian Facebook profile. In a video, they showed an example of the post, stamped "FAKE", and said these were "NOT legitimate FNB offerings".
A similar post by FNB Botswana said that the fake FNB profiles were "designed to trick you into sharing your banking login details, PIN, or personal information".
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"FNB Botswana does not offer loans through social media and will never ask for your banking login details."
FNB South Africa has previously urged social media users to only "follow verified FNB social media profiles that have a verified blue ✔️ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram".
Tips for spotting scam pages and profiles
Here's how to spot fake pages and profiles on Facebook:
- The page is unverified: Legit pages usually feature a blue check mark, indicating that Facebook has confirmed that the page is "the authentic media company or brand".
- There are obvious errors: Keep an eye out for errors on the page, like typos in their names. You can also check if the page previously had a different name.
- The information being shared is inaccurate: Does the page share links to unrelated websites, unverified numbers or suspicious direct messaging requests? Be wary.
- Official social media pages say something different: Visit the company or brand's verified website to make sure the page or profile matches what they have listed as their official social media pages.
More posts by scam profiles can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
