It’s the second day of Raya! Even though the celebration this year might be a little bit different, nevertheless, whether if you’re at home or by yourself, it’s a time to cherish and be grateful.
However, if you’re away from home, one thing you might miss besides the food and family is… DUIT RAYA! Cause let’s be honest, who doesn’t love free money?
Since most people weren’t able to balik kampung this year, we saw an increasing trend of Malaysians posting their bank account number and QR code, and requesting to transfer the money there if their followers would want to give some duit raya.
At a single glance, this gesture might seem like a harmless move for people to spread kindness and love. BUT, Twitter user @aisyahshakirah warned that this move might be more dangerous than you think!
I am noticing a trend where people are sharing their bank account details publicly on social media for duit raya. Please please dont do this.
This piece of information is part of your personal data & sharing it publicly is basically saying ‘hey cybercriminals, come get me’!
— aisyah shakirah (@aisyahshakirah) May 24, 2020
Will your money be stolen just from an account number?
While it’s certainly impossible for hackers to empty your bank account just with an account number, the more personal information you share online, the more you’re putting yourself at risk.
Without you realizing, you are slowly allowing fraudsters to harvest information about you. Enough data could lead to compromise. They can then start impersonating you, and also possibly gaining access to your bank accounts, including through Internet banking.
— aisyah shakirah (@aisyahshakirah) May 24, 2020
Next Advisor also reported that, for fraudsters, all they need is your account and routing numbers to perpetrate banking identity theft. That said, the risk of this happening isn’t the same in every situation and in some cases, there may not be any risk at all. Still, it’s something to be aware of!
If you’re an online seller, worried about exposing your bank account information online, it’s best that you have a separate account for business purposes and monitor it always. This was even confirmed by Maybank themselves!
2) For the account number, if you share the account number for certain purpose i.e. business/ donation, people can only transfer amount to the account. However, always stay vigilant to avoid your account information being misused by irresponsible parties.
— Maybank (@MyMaybank) May 25, 2020
Even sharing your QR code isn’t the safest as even the banks advise you to only share it with your friends and family to receive money.
All in all, we don’t need to be educated on the various scams happening on social media now. If you feel like whatever you’re sharing seems personal, might as well just don’t share it. So, let’s just have a safe and happy Hari Raya!
Also read: Malaysians Beware: 6 People Lost RM300,000 In Total To Scammers Using New Tactics During MCO
