Family Bank has addressed a viral video showing a woman wailing inside one of its branches while demanding to have her money back.
A 58-seconds clip had surfaced on social media showing a scene where operations at an unnamed branch were disrupted by the woman.
In the video, the woman was heard shouting “I want my money” while screaming at the top of her voice in a seemingly distressed state.
A security guard was then seen shoving her outside from the banking hall with the help of an armed police officer with the sound of items clattering on the floor playing in the background.
The video sparked jitters among social media users who interacted with the video, with different users speculating what could have gone wrong in the banking hall.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 23, Family Bank acknowledged the incident stating that it was aware of the video circulating on social media.
According to the statement, the bank had already reached out to the customer and efforts to address her challenge were underway.
Family Bank gives assurance
In its statement, Family Bank also acknowledged the inconvenience the issue had caused the customer and assured that it would resolve the issue with urgency.
“We have had engagements with the customer and the matter is under resolution,” read the statement in part.
“We appreciate the grievance this process of resolution may have caused the customer. Family Bank follows all laid down procedures as regulated. Rest Assured we are handling this matter with the discretion and urgency it deserves.”
The Bank did not, however, divulge the specifics of the incident that prompted the woman’s reaction.
Also Read: Banks to Repay Money Sent to Wrong Till Numbers After Landmark Ruling
Reacting to the video, social media users had raised questions over the context of the drama at a time the banking sector has been rocked with concerns about security breaches.
Earlier in April, reports about the loss of Ksh290 million rocked another local bank to spark safety concerns among customers banking with the company.
The Banking Fraud Investigation Unit (BFIU) of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation intervened and arrested 19 suspects in connection with the loss for questioning as detectives labored to get to the bottom of the unfolding scandal.
Part of the money was fraudulently paid to the 551 bank accounts and extra Ksh63 million was sent to M-Pesa and the rest (Ksh39 million) was transacted to 11 commercial banks.
The case added to a long list of the increasing security breaches facing banks especially in the wake of new banking technology.
Also Read: DCI to Help Safaricom Fight Fraud Cases
Central Bank move to tame bank fraud
According to the Central Bank of Kenya, fraudsters use means including identity theft, bank card fraud, and ponzi schemes where victims are lured into believing that they can a high reward from channeling money to defraud unsuspecting customers.
To avoid such cases, the CBK discourages bank customers from responding to unsolicited emails, letters or calls promising some form of benefit or sharing personal information online (website, social media), email or on the phone.
In addition, the Central Bank advocates for strong unique password for online accounts which is not used for any other accounts and where possible, having multifactor authentication for sensitive accounts.
Recent court rulings in cases involving bank frauds have also pushed for stronger measures by banks in ensuring due diligence when approving transactions to prevent losses.
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