fnbdigitalrecalls@fnb.co.za is a legitimate FNB address used by the bank’s Recalls and Reversals Department to handle payment reversal requests. But if you’ve never asked FNB to reverse a payment and an email from this address lands in your inbox demanding you click a link or share your PIN, treat it as a scam. The real address only sends one type of message: an automated reference number after you submit the Payment Reversal Request Form.
What fnbdigitalrecalls@fnb.co.za actually does
This is the inbox FNB uses to receive completed Payment Reversal Request Forms when a customer has paid the wrong account by EFT. The mailbox sits with the bank’s Client Support Management, Recalls and Reversals Department, and a system on the other side responds automatically. Once you send the completed form, you should get an automated reply with a reference number within 15 minutes. If nothing arrives in that window, call the number on the back of your card.
That’s the entire legitimate function of this address. It does not send promotions, account warnings, OTP requests, or links asking you to log in.
Is the email you received legit or a phishing scam?
A real message from fnbdigitalrecalls@fnb.co.za will only arrive if you (or someone on your account) emailed the reversal form first. It will be short, contain a reference number, and ask you for nothing. A scam version does the opposite: it arrives out of nowhere, creates urgency, and pushes you to click.
FNB is blunt about this. The bank will never ask for your username, password or PIN in an email, SMS or phone call, and it tells customers never to click a link to the FNB website but to type the address in. If the email demands login details, contains a suspicious link, or threatens that your account will be suspended, it’s phishing, even if the sender field shows the real fnbdigitalrecalls address. Spoofing the “From” line is trivial for fraudsters.
Other red flags:
- Spelling and grammar mistakes, especially in the subject line.
- Attachments you weren’t expecting, particularly .html or .zip files.
- Links that hover-preview to a domain that isn’t fnb.co.za.
- Any mention of “verifying” your card details, OTP, or banking app PIN.
- A reference to a reversal you never requested.
What an FNB digital payment recall actually is
A recall, also called a reversal, is FNB’s attempt to claw back money you sent to the wrong account. It is not a refund, and it is not automatic. The bank does it on a best-effort basis and must get permission from the recipient before pulling the money. The recipient’s account also needs to hold enough money to cover the full amount, partial reversals aren’t allowed, and you have to lodge the request within 30 calendar days of the payment.
The cost matters. FNB charges R313 (VAT included) per reversal attempt, and that fee is non-refundable. If the reversal fails, you still pay the full R313. So if you sent R200 to the wrong account, paying R313 to chase it makes no sense. Phone the recipient first.
Some payments can’t be recalled at all. Pay & Clear Now, Scheduled Payments and PayShap transfers fall outside the process, as do payments to SARS, municipalities, Telkom, vehicle finance accounts, credit cards and investment accounts. For those, FNB can only try to share the recipient’s contact details so you can chase the money yourself. If this sounds like your situation, our guide on what to do if you’ve paid the wrong account at any SA bank walks through every option.
What happens if you ignore the email
If it’s a real automated reply with your reference number, ignoring it costs you nothing immediately, but you’ll have no way to track your reversal request. You may also miss the bank’s feedback when it arrives, which takes 5 working days where the recipient banks with one of the big banks, or 10 working days for smaller banks. Save the reference number somewhere you can find it.
If it’s a phishing email, ignoring it is the right move. Don’t click, don’t reply, don’t forward to friends. Report it and delete.
How to respond to a real recall email from FNB
If you submitted the reversal form yourself, here’s what the legitimate flow looks like:
- Within 15 minutes of sending the form, you receive an automated reply with a reference number. Save it.
- Wait. Don’t email the address again. No human reads incoming mail there.
- Between 5 and 10 working days later, FNB contacts you with the outcome. Either the recipient agreed and the money comes back, or they refused and you’ve lost the R313 fee plus the original amount.
- If the outcome is failure, FNB may, with the recipient’s consent, share contact details so you can negotiate directly.
If you’ve never sent a reversal form and you get a “reference number” email, it’s a fake. Real reference emails don’t arrive uninvited. You can verify the official process at fnb.co.za’s Security Centre.
How to report a fake FNB email and lock down your account
If you suspect phishing, do this in order:
- Don’t click any link or open any attachment.
- Forward the full email, with headers, to phishing@fnb.co.za.
- If you already clicked a link or entered details, call the FNB Single Fraud Line on 087 575 9444 immediately. Give the agent a full account of what happened and get a reference number.
- Change your online banking password from a clean device, not the one that opened the suspicious link.
- On the FNB App, switch on Smart inContact for transaction approvals and review your linked devices.
- Delete the email.
Two habits will protect you long term. First, never act on a banking email by clicking the link inside it. Type fnb.co.za into your browser instead. Second, if you genuinely need to reverse a payment, always start by calling the recipient. It’s free, it’s fast, and it works more often than the formal recall. If you bank with more than one institution, our breakdown of how long EFTs take between banks can help you spot a delayed payment that hasn’t actually gone wrong, and our complete FNB eBucks guide covers another area where phishing fakes are common.
fnbdigitalrecalls@fnb.co.za is real, but a sender address alone doesn’t make an email safe. The content does. If anything in that inbox asks you for credentials or pushes urgency, it’s not from FNB, no matter what the From line claims.