The customer can also help maintain the security of banking information by:

• Not sharing the customer's ID or password with anyone
• Changing the customer's password regularly
• Remembering to sign off after an online banking session
• Not leaving the customer's computer unattended while conducting online transactions
• Reporting lost or stolen cards
• Helping Absa maintain accurate records by letting Absa know when changes occur in the customer's situation so Absa can update its records accordingly
• Not sending any confidential information via non-encrypted e-mail
• Not supplying the customer's personal and financial information to any site he/she doesn't know or trust

What is customer information?
Customer information refers to personal and private information submitted to Absa via the website that identifies or relates to a customer, whether the customer is an individual or a business. This information includes details such as name, age, ID numbers, registration numbers, addresses and other contact details, liabilities, income and payments records, financial information and banking details such as account numbers.

Why does Absa collect customer information?
Absa uses customer information to identify the customer and to offer better online service. Customer information is also necessary to enable Absa to contact the customer in the event of any query. Absa further uses customer information to bring to the customer's attention details of Absa's other services and products. The more we know about you the better we can serve you.

How does Absa safeguard your information?
Keeping your financial information secure is one of Absa's most important responsibilities. This policy governs the behaviour of employees with regard to accuracy, confidentiality and security of all customer information.

The only instances in which Absa is permitted to disclose customer information is when it is:

Authorised by the customer
Absa will not collect or use customer information without obtaining the customer's consent.

In respect of marketing of services or products, consent to collect or use information can be expressed (for example signing an agreement) or implied (e.g. if the customer is given an opportunity to opt out of a specific form of information sharing, but choose not to do so, it implies that the customer chooses to share this information).

The type of customer information the customer will be asked to provide will vary according to the product or services required.

Absa is made up of a number of different business units, such as Absa Corporate and Merchant Bank, Business Bank, Vehicle and Asset Finance and Card division. By sharing information about a customer's accounts among different business units, Absa can serve the customer more efficiently.

Other companies routinely contact Absa for credit and financial information about customers. Absa will, however, only share customer information in the instances where disclosure is made at the customer's request or with the customer's consent.

Required by law
This most often relates to government tax reporting requirements or in terms of a court order or if required in terms of legislation or in accordance with the common law. Absa will, however, in all instances required by law, only disclose the information specifically requested.

Necessary to protect the Absa's interest
This will not be used as a reason for disclosing information about a customer or a customer's accounts (including name and address) to any one else, including other companies in the Absa Group for marketing purposes. However, basic procedures that protect Absa's interests sometimes lead to the disclosure of specific customer information to third parties for example, returning a cheque due to insufficient funds in an account.

In the public interest
Sometimes Absa is asked to disclose customer information for matters of public interest, e.g. to assist in the prevention of crimes. Before complying with these requests, Absa takes every precaution to ensure the authorities involved have legitimate grounds to make such a request.

Credit reference agencies
Information about a customer's personal debt owed to Absa may be disclosed to credit reference agencies, where the customer has fallen behind with payments and has not made proposals satisfactory to Absa for repayment of debt following formal demand or where the customer has given Absa written consent or where the customer has a cheque referred to drawer, the information is placed on a cheque verification service.

Absa does not capture customer information that the customer provides on any of Absa's Planning Tools (for instance the interest calculators). The tools are for the customer's personal use to help make financial decisions in the privacy of the customer's home.

Absa reserves the right to amend this policy at any time. All amendments to this policy will be posted on the website. Unless otherwise stated, the current version shall supersede and replace all previous versions of this policy.

Different online services, Absa business units or subsidiaries may have their own privacy policies because the nature of the service or products demands a deviation from this policy. These specific policies will apply to and exclusively govern the customer's use of the particular online service or product.

Except as outlined in the section dealing with "Sharing Customer Information", Absa will never sell or otherwise make available customer information to other organisations or parties including other companies in the Absa Group.

Absa may use customer information to send the customer information on new services or products that may be of interest to the customer and from time to time will mail, e-mail or SMS information to the customer about Absa, Absa products and services or on the Absa Group of Companies and its products or services. The customer will have the option to indicate that he/she does not want to receive such specific product communications in future, at time of receipt of the communication. The customer will, however, continue to receive other product information until the option to not receive future communications has again been selected for such specific product.

Remember, regular non-encrypted e-mail is not secure. For this reason Absa will not include confidential account information in an e-mail response.

Absa will further never request the customer, via the use of e-mail, to provide Absa with personal information, such as your account number; PIN or password.

Back To Top