NDIC: Banks defrauded of N18bn in 2015 – but that’s better

Banks in Nigeria lost N18.021 billion in 2015, representing a N7.59 billion or 29.63 per cent decrease from 2014, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) said on Tuesday.

The number of fraud cases stood at 12,279 in 2015, a 15.71 per cent increase from the 10, 612 cases reported in 2014, the corporation said in a statement released on Tuesday in Lagos by its public affairs unit.

NDIC said the actual loss suffered by the insured banks decreased by N3.02 billion or 48.79 per cent from N6.19 billion in 2014 to N3.17 billion in 2015.

According to it, the actual loss sustained in respect of internet banking fraud is N857 million, representing 27 per cent of total actual loss of the industry.

The corporation said there was an increase in the frequency of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card-related fraud cases.

It added that the increase reached 8,039 in 2015 from the 7,181 recorded in 2014.

The corporation, however, said the loss suffered by the industry due to such frauds declined by 59.4 per cent from 2014 figure of N1.242 billion to N0.504 billion, representing 15.9 per cent of total industry loss to frauds and forgeries.

The regulator noted that out of the 12,279 fraud cases reported by the commercial banks, 425 were attributed to staff.

It said, “The number of fraud cases perpetrated by staff had decreased from 465 in 2014 to 425 in 2015.”

Similarly, losses arising there from substantially decreased by 70 per cent from N3.165 billion in 2014 to ₦0.979 billion in 2015.

“The highest percentage of frauds and forgery cases of 38.59per cent was perpetrated by temporary staff,” it said.