Internet bank fraudsters now in recession, says CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has claimed success in checking Internet fraudsters in the banking sector through various measures to prevent hacking into customers’ accounts.

The deputy governor of the apex bank in charge of operations, Mr. Bayo Adelabu, who spoke at the 2017 retreat of the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) held in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, said the bank would continue to sanitise the financial sector.

The event was attended by top officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), U.S Consulate, Lagos, Consumers Protection Council (CPC) and some commercial banks.

Chairman, Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum, Dipo Fatokun said with the bank verification number in place, biometrics would soon be used for transactions. “That means if you want to transact with your ATM, you will need to use your biometrics. There is no way you can give your finger to a third party. If that is enabled, it will make our system to be more secure and make all our transactions to be validated.”

Adelabu, in his keynote address, said in the age of digitalization and increased adoption of alternate forms of payment for goods and services, stakeholders must ensure security of operators and the consumers they intend to serve.

The CBN commended the feats recorded in the last six years by NeFF, noting that the organization in collaboration with other stakeholders has successfully implemented the Cybercrime Prohibition and Prevention Act 2015.

According to him, the retreat has re-enforced greater synergy among the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the forum and the entire payments industry.

“At the CBN, we shall continue to ensure a safe, reliable, secure and efficient payment system, and our commitments will neither waiver nor dampen in this regard.”

On the future of the banking industry, he said what is lost to fraud has progressively reduced in the last three years. “It is safe to say that the fraudsters industry is not only in recession, but will hopefully never recover, based on the strategies this retreat will fashion out for the fight against e-fraud in Nigeria,” the CBN official said.