Dear client

A limited number of our clients received an email from Bank Windhoek which mistakenly included information of certain of our electronic banking clients. None of this client information compromises access security. Upon discovery of this disclosure, immediate action was taken to prevent further sharing of this information.

We sincerely apologize for the unintended disclosure of this information to some of our clients. We assure you that no passwords have been compromised in any way and as such that all your accounts remain secure. Our E-Secure Token provides you with a further layer of security by authenticating your identity before logging into your internet banking account. Furthermore, our AlertMe notification service notifies you via SMS or email when you log onto your internet banking account. We also confirm that the information disclosed did not include any bank account information.

We would like to remind you once again not to respond to any email, SMS message or telephone call, even if it seems authentic, asking you to confirm personal and or account information. We confirm that the bank will never ask you to provide personal and or account information via email, SMS or telephone.

This message is published to ensure transparency to you as our valued client. No action is required from you. You are however invited to contact your branch or phone our 24 hour Customer Contact Centre at (061) 299 1200 should you have any enquiries in this regard.

We also draw your attention to the following measures to prevent Phishing attacks and unauthorized access to your accounts:

• Always make use of the bank’s E-Secure tokens which is an extra layer of security and sign up for the Bank’s AlertMe service if you have not done so already;
• Maintain active, up-to-date antivirus, spyware and firewall protection;
• Keep your operating system, browser and other applications updated with the latest security patches;
• Avoid banking transactions at wireless hot spots or internet cafés;
• Only access the online banking website by only going through your bank’s main website, rather than clicking on links you might see in an email or in a message;
• Monitor transactions on your account and report any suspicious activity on your accounts to the bank immediately;
• Save the bank’s 24-hour Customer Contact Centre number on your phone: (061) 299 1200.

The convenient, safe and secure transacting by our clients through all our channels and specifically our internet banking platform remains a key part of our customer value proposition and we will continue to implement measures to improve the safety and security of all our channels.

Baronice Hans
Managing Director