Cybersecurity has become an important component in maintaining the integrity and security of sensitive information and data in various forms from both a customer and supplier perspective.
The recent case of Judith Hawarden v. Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Inc. is an example of the risks posed in the cyberspace. As a result of a compromise and fraud, the email address of the respondent’s conveyancing secretary was hacked leading to the banking details of the respondent being altered to that of the fraudsters’. R5.5 million was transferred to the wrong bank account as a result.
At Claassen Inc, we take the risks associated with the lack of cybersecurity extremely seriously and we are committed to mitigate the relevant risks not only for ourselves, but also for those who we engage with.
In furtherance of this commitment we have put measures in place, specifically to mitigate the risks of email impersonation attacks. The measures we have put in place have been effective and this is shown by our DMARC compliance certificate where our domain was awarded a 5/5 domain safety score. This is an additional measure aimed at mitigating the risk of cyber fraud and does not mean that, that risk is completely eliminated.
- The normal procedures should still be followed, which is:
Confirming any bank details sent to you by email telephonically. - Ensure that the telephone number you use has been verified independently, or is known to you to be that of the payee.
This process should be followed when engaging with us, and we will never change our banking details by email or during the course of a transaction.