KUALA LUMPUR – A rising trend of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors sharing screenshots of their account balances on social media is causing concern over potential security risks.
Crime analyst Datuk Shahul Hamid Abdul Rahim, speaking to Scoop, expressed confusion and concern over this practice – highlighting the dangers of publicly displaying sensitive financial information.
“I don’t understand why they would reveal their savings account balance. It’s extremely dangerous and can invite scammers or robbers to commit crimes.
“Why are they so bold to expose this information? It should remain private. What’s their real intention, to show off how much money they have?
“By sharing this information, they are actually creating opportunities for scammers and robbers to track them down. We need to alert the public that what they are doing is dangerous and wrong,” he said.
Shahul also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to take action against a Facebook account which encourages people to share their EPF account balances.
He believes shutting down such accounts is essential to preventing fraud involving EPF contributors.
“MCMC has the power to close this account on the grounds that it poses a danger to those sharing screenshots.
“We can never predict the actions of criminals which can sometimes lead to injury or death. So, never give them any opportunity,” he said.
Former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan also advised all EPF contributors to keep personal information private.
“Nowadays, scammers are just waiting for opportunities, and displaying account balances on social media makes it easy for them to track down individuals’ information.
“There are many scammers now, and contributors should protect their confidential information.
“If they fall victim to scammers, they shouldn’t blame police later. In my experience, scam victims often blame police if they are slow in tracking down criminals.
“But they forget that they created opportunities for the crime to occur,” he said.
Earlier, EPF, through an Instagram post, also warned contributors not to reveal or share screenshots of their account balances on social media, as doing so can lead to severe consequences, including threats from scammers. – May 15, 2024