Call ‘from your bank’? Suspect the worst
If you get a call from someone who knows a lot about your financial affairs, don’t take that as proof that they really are “from your bank”.
Many fraud victims tell me that believed that because the person had so much detail about their accounts. And no, that doesn’t mean it was an inside job: all our credit records have been compromised by a series of major credit bureau breaches, so the baddies do have a lot of our info. But they need to trick us into giving them passwords in order to raid our accounts. Hence that call.
2. Medical schemes’ 'late joiner' penalty — avoid!
Considering taking a break from “medical aid” payments? Bad idea. Medical schemes are legally entitled to charge late joiner penalties to those who join a medical scheme after the age of 35, AND to those who’ve had a break in membership of more than three consecutive months since 2001. The penalty can be as high as 75% of the risk portion of your monthly fee, and it’s a penalty for life.
3. Your camera phone is your friend
Karabo bought a kitchen cupboard in a store. The price stuck on it was R2,200 and that’s what she paid. But they delivered a different, not as nice, cupboard instead. When she pointed that out, she was told the one she chose was actually R3,200. And she had no proof that the price on it was R2,200. Any time you choose something on a showroom floor and pay for it in advance for delivery later, whip out your phone and take photos as proof of what you are entitled to receive.
4. Check your SMSs!
Here’s a reason why being “on your phone” a lot can be a good thing. Many bank fraud incidents happen because the crook succeeded in hijacking their victim’s SIM. Before your bank approves a SIM swap, they will send you an SMS to check that you’ve authorised it. If you fail to respond, a few hours later the sim swap will happen anyway, giving the fraudster access to your funds. Your bank also SMS-es you if someone is trying to open an account in your name, and alerts you when money leaves your account. Missing or ignoring those messages could be your most expensive mistake.
5. Don’t show off that beautiful perfume bottle
We pay a fortune for high-end fragrances, so it’s tempting to display those beautiful bottles. But exposing your perfumes to strong light, heat, and humidity - all present in a bathroom - can break down their essential oils, weakening the fragrance. Instead, store your perfume somewhere dark, cool, and dry like a cupboard or drawer, or keep it in its original boxes. And no, storing perfume in the fridge won’t help preserve it for longer. In fact, chilling fragrance may have the opposite effect, breaking down scent molecules and causing your perfume to lose its overall depth.
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