Wema Bank Restates Commitment To Fraud Awareness

Wema Bank Plc has emphasised the bank’s commitment to championing fraud awareness and protecting its customer’s interest.

The bank made this pledge at a public forum to mark the International Fraud Awareness Week 2024, with the theme, ‘Share A Story, Stop A Scam’ held in Lagos.

International Fraud Awareness Week is a global celebration commemorated annually in the third week of November, with the goal of highlighting the increasing threat that fraud poses on individual, business and societal levels, as well as encouraging individuals and institutions to take proactive steps towards minimising the impact of fraud.

Representing the MD/CEO of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, the executive director of Retail and Digital Business, Tunde Mabawonku emphasised the Bank’s commitment to championing fraud awareness and combating fraud.
According to him, “fraud and scam are no longer news and with each day, fraudulent tactics continue to evolve. With the evolution of digital banking. As an institution, we have a role to play and this is why we remain unrelenting in our fight against fraud.

“Awareness is key, so while we do the backend work of constantly innovating, running checks and advancing our security framework, we go a step further in ensuring that our customers are also equipped to, on their end, complement the work we do in terms of maintaining their financial security; and we do this through awareness, information and education.

“Our commitment to driving fraud awareness goes beyond International Fraud Awareness Week because the truth is, awareness is a lifelong journey. With the digital evolution of constant proliferation, fraudsters are getting more creative in their tactics and the onus is on every one of us to keep spreading the word about rising fraudulent antics and how to handle them, to ensure that more people are aware and equipped to stay ahead of these fraudsters.”

Mabawonku added that, “we launched an Anti-Fraud campaign with this very focus and this two-way approach to combating fraud holds great potential and as we continue to empower our customers and the general public to combat fraud, we take this moment to reiterate our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of information security and prioritising consumer protection as we continue to empower lives through innovation.”

Also, assistant commissioner of Police at the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigerian Police Force, Femi Akinola encouraged victims of fraud to be willing to work with the Police in providing the required information and documents to aid investigations.

An Assistant Commander of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Oguzi Moses emphasised the importance of promoting a culture of compliance within institutions towards mitigating fraud.

He further commended Wema Bank for its openness to collaboration and its role in spreading anti-fraud awareness, expressing commitment to continuous collaboration with the Bank.