OCBC Malaysia customers can now activate ‘kill switch’ via mobile app

Customers of OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd and its subsidiary OCBC Al-Amin Bank Bhd, collectively known as OCBC Malaysia, can now activate the OCBC Kill Switch via the OCBC Mobile Banking app to immediately suspend their banking accounts and cards if they suspect they have been scammed.

Previously, they could only suspend their accounts via the bank’s phone banking interactive voice response (IVR) service.

Customers can activate the OCBC Kill Switch function via the OCBC Malaysia Mobile Banking app login screen and follow the stated steps, including verification of their identity. Thereafter, they are able to suspend their accounts, cards and digital banking access.

The 24/7 service aims to safeguard customers against scams, which is in line with Bank Negara Malaysia’s call to strengthen measures against financial scams. OCBC Bank was the first in the country to roll out the kill switch feature in December 2022 via IVR.

According to OCBC Bank managing director and head of consumer financial services Anne Leh (pic), the move to introduce the kill-switchby-mobile-app option stems from the increasingly sophisticated nature of scam attacks, which calls for the fastest possible way for customers to act on their own when they suspect something is amiss with their banking accounts or cards.

“The ability to access the OCBC Kill Switch directly on the OCBC Mobile Banking app rather than via phone banking enables the customer to take charge of potential scams immediately,” she said.

Once the OCBC Kill Switch is activated, no outgoing transactions can be made. Even recurring or prearranged fund transfers will be disabled.