Nicisms » Banking

ABSA Internet Banking… it sucks

Nic Haralambous — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:26:58 +0000

For many years I have used ABSA’s internet banking but alas, for the last three days I have been unable to pay accounts, access my online banking, or even simply receive the verification SMS that is sent to you to do certain things on your account.

I’m fed up. I want a solution and I want to be able to ACCESS MY OWN MONEY. NOW.

Absa takes no responsibility for fraud

Nic Haralambous — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:27:23 +0000

I have just tried to log on to my Absa Internet banking. Not so much.

I can log on, I enter my passwords and that’s all fine. Then a disclaimer pops up with no option but to agree.

The disclaimer says:

Absa has informed me and requested me on several occasions not to respond to any e-mail which requests me to supply me Internet Banking PIN, ATM PIN or any personal details including my Cellphone or e-mail addresses. Should I respond to an e-mail as described above and as a result thereof, fraud is committed on my account, I agree that I shall not hold Absa Bank Ltd liable for any loss/es which I may suffer.

And:

Absa has informed me about the risk of doing Internet Banking at public accessible computers as found in Internet CafÃ©’s, Hotel Lobbies and even reputable public accessible Business Centres. These computers are often infested with spy ware that record your keystrokes and pass it on to a third party without your knowledge. Fraudsters use your account details to log on to your service and defraud you of your funds. I acknowledge and agree that in the event that I do my Internet Banking at public accessible computers and as a result thereof, my logon credentials are stolen and fraud is committed on my account, I shall not hold Absa Bank Ltd liable for any loss/es which I may suffer.

What a load of bullshit. There is no option but to accept these “terms” if you want to access your banking online. Done, finished, kla, over. Now I don’t agree with this in any way. This is much like a big brother in society saying to the little guy (me): “I am big, I have money, and I take no responsibility if our systems are compromised.”

How? How can a bank the size of Absa take NO responsibility for their security and any breaches that occur while using THEIR system.

This is easily one of the most cowardly things I have seen from a company. I log on to my banking at work, that is technically a public computer. So if I have a case of fraud on my account in the future, Absa can simply claim that I used a public computer and this is not any of their problem. What a load of shit.

What do you think?

How To Add A Discovery Credit Card As An Absa Beneficiary

Nic Haralambous — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:09:51 +0000

This sounds easy as pie. It’s not. If you have tried to do this recently you will know what I mean.

Firstly, there is no “credit card” option when selecting the type of account. Secondly, there is no “Discovery” option as bank because Discovery is not actually a bank. Lastly, the number on your credit card is not the same as the number displayed on your internet banking, who knew?

So here is how to go about adding your Discovery Credit Card to your beneficiaries list on your Absa internet banking:

To start with:

Click on “beneficiary” in the main menu.
Click “add new”

Then Step 1:

Find the button asking you to “Link Absa listed beneficiary (bill payment)” and CHECK IT.
Head over to the right text box and type in “DISC”.
Click on the “Next” button.

Step 1a:

Find the button that says “Discovery Credit Card” and CHECK IT.
Click on the “Next” button.

Step 2:

Enter the relevant details regarding your Discovery credit card. Remember to use the number on your card.

Step 3:

Finally, click on “Add New” to complete the process.

This might seem like a really simple and stupid post, but I promise you it took me ages to find out from somewhere what one needs to do to overcome certain hurdles like typing in “DISC” to add a Discovery card. I hope this helps someone.