First Bank's robust electronic banking infrastructure key to ensuring customers' accounts security

Since its establishment in 1894, First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank), the premier Bank in West Africa and the leading financial inclusion services provider in Nigeria has consistently built relationships with customers focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimised risk management and leadership.

FirstBank has been in the forefront of electronic banking in the continent. Combating and ensuring customers safety via their robust electronic banking infrastructure even though in today’s global village, driven by electronic banking and business activities, it remains our collective responsibility to combat the menace of cyber-fraud.

Recently, an arrest was made of a gang of cybercriminals who specialized in stealing SIM cards to gain unauthorized access to the personal and banking details of their victims in order to carry out illicit transactions on their bank accounts.

And in their confession, they mentioned some first generation banks where they have carried out their nefarious activities.

But First Bank, a financial institution that always ensures that the safety of their customers’ account security comes first and prioritized in a swift reaction assures their customers that; “Our attention has been drawn to the arrest of a gang of cybercriminals who specialize in stealing SIM cards to gain unauthorized access to the personal and banking details of their victims in order to carry out illicit transactions on their bank accounts.”

“The claims by the suspect on the ease of accessing FirstBank accounts are baseless and untrue as the Bank’s robust electronic banking infrastructure has been essential to ensuring the security of our customers’ accounts, irrespective of where they are across the world.”

“Please avoid storing your bank and personal details such as ATM card PINs, account numbers, email passwords and other classified information on your mobile devices as these serve as sources of information used for the electronic compromise of bank accounts. We advise our customers to promptly inform the Bank to delink any inactive phone numbers previously mapped to their accounts.”

“We remain committed to expanding our electronic banking architecture towards the continued safety of the bank accounts of all our customers, whilst also ensuring your ease and convenience of carrying out all transactions, irrespective of where you are across the globe.”

With over 750 business locations and over 100,000 Banking Agents spread across 99% of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, FirstBank provides a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services to serve its over 30 million customers.

The Bank has been handy at promoting digital payment in the country and has issued over 10million cards, the first bank to achieve such a milestone in the country. FirstBank’s cashless transaction drive extends to having more than 10million people on its USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code and over 4.5 million people on FirstMobile platform.