Experian breach: your security is our top priority

The data breach experienced by the credit bureau Experian, which provides credit data to many large banks in South Africa, is an industry issue affecting most banks in South Africa.

Experian has confirmed that no consumer bureau records, credit or consumer financial information were accessed. The various reports citing banking data customers' bureau profile data being released, or large volumes of consumer banking information being obtained, are not accurate. The consumer information returned was limited to contact information and employment information.

Nevertheless investigations in conjunction with Experian and security experts from the banking industry are continuing and should we discover any of our clients’ data has not been adequately secured, we will contact our clients immediately.

Keeping you safe while you bank

As a digital bank, security on our banking app has always been a top priority and as such we have state-of-the-art security features in our app, including proprietary facial recognition algorithms that provide additional security to clients in order to protect our clients' data even in cases where data breaches occur outside of the bank.

We nonetheless encourage everyone to take additional steps to safeguard their personal information. Rememeber to always keep your card PINs and cellphone passcodes secret and to never disclose these to anyone.

Don’t fall for phishing scams while you work, shop or chat online

It is very important to be mindful of all the ways you could be targeted and protect yourself. Cyber-attacks come in so many forms and new techniques pop up all the time, so it’s hard to keep up.

Make sure that you are aware of the latest scams making the rounds, and also familiarise with the steps you can take to protect yourself by regularly visiting the Discovery Security and fraud page or checking out our latest security articles on the Discovery Magazine Security tips page.

Our clients’ security and the privacy of their personal information are our priority. If you suspect irregular activity on your Discovery Bank account, please call our Fraud team immediately on +27 11 324 4444.