GTBank Suffers Network Glitches As Fraudsters Hack Customers, Empties Bank Accounts

Recently one of Nigerians embattled banks, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) plc has been suffering network glitches which enables fraudsters to access customers account and withdraw their funds without authorization.

An Abuja resident has shared how her GTBank account was emptied of N124,000 on August 10 and 11 after someone hacked into her account.

The GTBank customer, who asked to remain unnamed, told newsmen that she got some messages containing one-time passwords (OTPs) on August 10. Afterwards, she got debit alerts amounting to N23,128 for transactions she did not authorize.

Surprised by these transactions, she first blocked her account to prevent further unauthorised deductions. Then she visited a branch of the bank to withdraw the remaining money in her account that same day.

“I rushed to a branch of the bank at Wuse 2, Ademola Adetokunbo, so I could withdraw the remaining money, but I was told that there was a restriction on my account,” said the GTBank customer.

“I felt relieved and then returned home because I believed the restriction meant my account was secure.”

However, this Abuja resident’s relief was short-lived as she received several debit alerts again on August 11 until her account balance was emptied. Exactly N101,700 left her account on August 11.

She was shocked that GTBank still allowed unauthorised transactions on an account that had been restricted.

“I don’t understand how such could happen on an account that is blocked and restricted. Now all the money is gone. I lost over N124,000, and I really need my money back,” she told FIJ.

The GTBank customer notified the bank of these transactions and the bank informed her that she would get feedback by August 23, 2023. She has neither received a response nor a refund since then.

When contacted GTBank on Friday, Abiola Salami, a customer care representative wrote: “Kindly be informed that we do not disclose customer information to 3rd party, case will be reviewed accordingly.”

Also another customer Aiyeloso Babajide, a Lagos-based entrepreneur, has narrated how N100,000 was withdrawn from his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) account fraudulently. Babajide said that the money was withdrawn from his account without his consent on June 13 after he performed an ATM transaction at the Omole, Lagos, branch of the bank.

“On June 13, I was going to the airport with my wife but stopped to use the ATM at the Omole, Lagos GTB branch,” he said.

After using the ATM, I stepped into my car only to receive tons of messages from my bank. I was surprised because I had blocked messages from GTB when I lost my phone.

“I didn’t pay attention to it at first, but when I checked, I saw onetime passwords from the bank. I looked further and discovered that N50,000 had been withdrawn twice aside from the withdrawal I initiated.”

The entrepreneur said he immediately entered the banking hall to lodge a formal complaint but it seemed the bank officials had been trained to make excuses for fraudsters.

“Since I was still at the bank, I entered the banking hall to complain to the officials, but it appeared that they had been trained to lie for fraudsters or connive with them,” he said.

“They insisted that someone must have gained access to my phone without my consent, even though my phone was with me. I told them nothing of such happened.

“Then they said someone must have peeped at my pin while I was using the ATM, but when they checked the CCTV, nobody was behind me.

To my shock, they even said that breaking into someone’s phone was a global phenomenon and it was beyond the bank’s control. GTBank didn’t offer to help or provide on how to recover the money.

“N100,000 is a lot of money to lose at this time. I just need my money back from GTBank.”

Another customer Sulaiman Adebola, a Lagos State-based civil servant, narrated how N250,000 mysteriously left his GTBank account without his authorisation.

The incident happened between May 2 and 3, and that he could not immediately report the incident at the bank’s branch closest to him because the government had declared holidays on those days. “On April 27, I discovered that N1,000 had been stolen from my account by unknown persons. In the narration, I saw that the money had left my account through Paystack,” Adebola said.

“I was confused because I was sure I had never carried out any Paystack transaction before. This prompted me to immediately lodge a complaint on the bank’s official Twitter handle.

“I did not immediately get any response from GTBank.”

The civil servant said someone who claimed to be one of the bank’s officials later responded to his chat.

One of the Paystack Debits

“The person described himself as one of the bank’s officials and sent me a ‘Customer Care WhatsApp line’. He advised me to re-route my complaint through the WhatsApp channel and assured me of a quick resolution,” Sulaiman said.

“After my chat with the supposed GTBank staff member on the WhatsApp line, N106,000 suddenly disappeared from my account on May 2, a public holiday.

“Before I could recover from the first debit, another 100,000 left my account on May 3, which was yet another public holiday. The fraudsters continued to carry out the transactions on my account until a total of N250,000 was stolen from it.

“Since the incident happened on two successive public holidays, I could not make a formal complaint until May 4 when when banks reopened. It was then that my account was placed on restriction and I was also told to write a formal complaint.

“The shocking part is that the ‘bank official’ never requested for my card details during my interaction with him. He only made promises to me that the issue would be resolved. But after our chat, my N250,000 disappeared.”

Sulaiman said that he was later sent a response by GTBank’s Fraud Monitoring Team that the fraud on his account was not the bank’s fault.

“They also said they suspected that I had compromised my bank account details. I find the response ridiculous because I have never at any time exposed my bank details before. I want my money back. It is the bank’s fault, not my fault.”

Telling her story Folake Egbadon, a Port Harcourt-based entrepreneur, recounted how N100,000 was withdrawn from her Guaranty Trust Bank account without authorization on December 4.

Egbadon stated that she received an OTP while she was within the premises of a branch of the bank in Rumuokoro, Port Harcourt, River State.

She said she ignored the message and complained to the bank immediately but two days later, she received a debit alert.

“I was at the bank to withdraw and was in the queue to use the ATM when I received an OTP for a transaction I did not initiate,” she told FIJ.

“I was surprised at this because my card was still in my purse at the time.

“Immediately, I reported the incident to the Customer Information System (CIS) officer at the same branch who promised to escalate the card transaction on my account. He did and told me I would get feedback from the bank.”

Egbadon said she received no response from the bank until December 6 when her account was debited.

“Unfortunately, there was no feedback until the debit alert dropped. I called the customer care representative wanting to know where the amount was transferred to, but I was not obliged, instead a card dispute form was sent to me by email,” she said.

“I have since filled and submitted the form at the same Rumuokoro Branch. They acknowledged it but I have no response from them till now.

As of the time of filing this report,GTBank is yet to make comments on the matter,