Mobile banking services are gaining momentum in Bangladesh. People are opening mobile banking accounts using their mobile phone numbers with easy and fast money transfer and shopping facilities. By the middle of 2019, the number of mobile financial service users in the country has exceeded 70 million Has done.

Every day new customers are registering for mobile banking services like BRAC Bank’s Bikash, Dutch Bangla Bank’s Rocket, Postal Department Cash etc. There is a lot of risk with mobile banking as money can be transferred with PIN number only by dialing short code with the help of mobile. It is also possible to transact through the mobile app. Here are some tips to keep in mind to stay safe in mobile banking services.

1. Keep PIN number secret

If you have multiple mobile banking accounts (e.g. bKash, cash), set a different PIN number for each mobile banking account. Please refrain from telling anyone this PIN number. Remember, if someone knows the PIN number, they can withdraw money from your mobile.

2. Beware of fake “customer care”

Only you, as the parent can know the PIN number of your mobile banking account. You will never want to know your PIN number from the customer care of the bank. If anyone wants to know your mobile banking account (such as bKash) PIN number or verification code with fake customer care identity, please call the helpline of the concerned banking service instead of giving the PIN number.

3. Open a mobile banking account in a properly registered SIM

If your SIM registration is incorrect, it may be blocked at any time or someone else may pick it up. SIM may also be lost. In these cases, if you have valid SIM documents, you can easily withdraw the SIM and use the mobile banking service. But if you do not have the documents, you will not be able to get the SIM – in that case the money in the mobile banking account is more likely to not be returned.

4. Lottery, prizes, beware of the king of the jinn!

Many may have heard, calling from an unknown number and suddenly saying “You have won the lottery of 10 lakh rupees, you will get money only if you develop so much money in such a number”, or many people call to develop by pretending to be the “King of Jinn”. Then many people get greedy and send money to mobile. It is not good to be greedy. So beware of these traps. Report the whole matter to the law enforcement, including the phone number of the fraudster. Complain to the Mobile Banking Services Helpline.

5. Beware of fake messages and fake calls!

Nowadays using various online based services you can create any number of phone numbers and send messages from them, even make calls. These are very dangerous. You may have noticed, for example, that messages from bKash have “bKash” written in place of the sender’s name – meaning that the message came from bKash (bKash). Now if someone gives you a message like bKash through online messaging service and it says that 5 thousand taka has come on your mobile then you must be surprised.

Many people will send you such deceptive messages and call you on your mobile saying that “brother forgot so much money has been spent on your development, give me back a little soon.” Then you may be ready to pay by dialing bkash immediately after seeing the message in simple mind. Stop! Never make such a fatal mistake! Every time you receive a money message on your mobile banking account, check your balance by dialing your mobile banking number or logging in to the app. Don’t trust calls or messages at all.

For example, you must read the message from bKash, dial * 247 # or check your balance from the app to see if money has been added to the account. In case of other mobile banking accounts also you can find out the balance by dialing the account number of the respective service or in the app. Again, do not rely on calls or messages at all. Only then can there be danger.

. Be sure to call before sending money to any number

Before sending money to any mobile banking number, make sure that the money is sent to the right person by typing (or from the contact list) on the phone in your hand. Fraudsters are calling for money by copying phone numbers through number cloning. So if you get a call from an acquaintance’s number, before you pay, you must dial that person’s number from your mobile to find out if he is really asking for money. Listen carefully to the tone of voice, the need, etc.

. Transact in your respective account

Use a mobile banking account opened with a personal phone number to transact money among yourself without cash out. This makes it easier to keep track and also increases security.

. Make room for messages

Leave enough space in the message inbox to receive new messages on mobile. Many times the message box of the feature phone gets full, so there is no space for new messages to arrive. In this case, the message of important transaction of mobile banking will not come. So put space in the inbox for new messages. You can save the mobile banking messages by deleting various offers and other unnecessary messages of the mobile company, which may be useful in future. However, care must be taken so that no one else can see these messages. Because even if you look at the details of the transaction, many people can cheat in different ways.

9. Keep track of the balance

Always remember how much money is deposited in your mobile banking account. Can be used in case of emergency. For example, in case of any problem with customer care, they may call to ask about the balance and the last few transactions (to make sure you are the real customer). However, customer care will never ask for your PIN number. The information in the messages of mobile banking is also quite sensitive. So lock them up or write them down somewhere secret and delete them from the phone.

10. Lost phone.

If your mobile phone is lost, call the Mobile Banking Helpline as soon as possible to ensure the security of your mobile banking account. For added security, if possible, turn on the SIM card pin code security so that the SIM PIN is required when turning on the phone. Remember, turning on the SIM card PIN is a bit dangerous, because if you forget the SIM PIN number (without Pak code) you can no longer use your SIM card – you have to get a new SIM for the same mobile number. This will get the mobile number back, but it will be a little trouble. So think twice before activating SIM pin code.

There is no last word on security. So there are a lot of points beyond these points that might be written another day. Share your thoughts on the security of mobile banking in the comments. Thanks.