Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) in a press release issued a clarification to an announcement made on April 2.
The bank said when accountholders receive a debit card, they will also receive a secret PIN code that is only made known to the accountholder. BIBD employees do not have access to the code.
The bank also added that it always guarantees the security of all customer deposits.
Performing online transfers is not possible without an online banking facility. To register and login to BIBD NEXGEN online banking facility, they must key in their username, password and secret PIN code.
Therefore, online transfers can only be made by the accountholder themselves as all user credentials are only known by the accountholder.
The bank said it has historically received accountholders complaints with regards to unauthorised fund transfers due to unauthorised access to an accountholder’s mobile banking account, either by sharing their login credentials with a trusted person, such as friends or relatives, or by being tricked into revealing their login credentials, to a scammer, possibly due to a customer clicking unknown links, phishing emails or malware on their smartphone.
Unauthorised access may also be gained by account takeover, such as in cases where the accountholder ‘lend’ or ‘rents’ their account and shares their mobile banking login credentials with a third party.
The bank reiterated that accountholders are not allowed to let third parties use, manage, or operate their BIBD accounts.
Some reported cases originated from accountholders who bought goods on social media platforms, later discovering they were scammed when the goods do not arrive or is not as specified during the ordering process.
Other cases arise from offers of lucrative investment returns over a short period.
BIBD advised accountholders to be diligent by ensuring the investment products are offered by an entity licensed by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB). These types of scams are often promoted through social media.
Accountholders who have fallen victims of such scams should report their cases to BIBD and relevant authorities and share their incident reports with BIBD. BIBD will assist the law enforcement agencies in their investigation.
The bank urged the public to adopt cybersecurity safety measures to enhance the security of their banking activities, including never sharing personal credentials, debit cards and PINs and never renting out the account or allow others to access your mobile banking.
BIBD also highlighted that spreading unverified reports or statements likely to cause public alarm is an offence under Chapter 148 of the Public Order Act and reserves the right to pursue legal action against those responsible for such acts.
