Nigerian banks have lost a staggering N42.6 billion to fraud in the second quarter of 2024, surpassing the total amount lost in the entire year of 2023.
This was revealed in the Q2 2024 Fraud and Forgeries report released by the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC).
According to the report, the amount lost to fraud in Q2 2024 represents a significant increase of 8,993% compared to the N468.4 million lost in Q1 2024.
The report also showed that the amount lost to fraud in Q2 2024 surpassed the total amount lost in 2023, which was N9.4 billion.
“The FITC report is based on returns on fraud and forgery cases received from twenty-eight (28) deposit money institutions in the country,” said the Centre. “A total of 80 returns were received in the quarter under review.”
The report attributed the largest loss to “miscellaneous and other fraud” types, which constituted 96.46% of the total amount lost, with a value of N41.14 billion.
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This was followed by losses from fraudulent withdrawals and computer/web fraud, amounting to approximately N781.2 million and N400.7 million, respectively.
The FITC advised banks to enhance their monitoring and auditing procedures to prevent fraud and protect customers’ funds.
“Access controls should also be strengthened by limiting access to settlement files to only a small, vetted group of authorized personnel given the appropriate clearance and are regularly trained on the latest security protocols,” said the Centre.
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