Say ‘no’ whenever asked to share your bankcard PIN code

Despite it is called Personal Identification Number PIN, several cases reported show government authorities demand individuals to share their bankcards PIN code to get their transaction finalised.

The concerned authorities in the government have been calling public to avoid sharing their bank account information to anyone even in online transactions. However, some government authorities still simply demand the PIN code from each individual to process their paying.

Experts have called to deny doing so even if the official insisted as such behaviour might lead to stealing money from bank accounts.

“It is not only in some government units, several shops still ask this stupid question: what is your PIN code?” said Shadha Al Mamari, an expert in bank security issues. She added that people should always reply no. They have full rights to do so protecting themselves from being preys by criminals.

“Such violations should be reported immediately to the concerned authorities even if the violator is a public official. The risk does not exist from the PIN code asker, but the other people around who might just chase the shared bank account info owner and steal the bankcards. Such scenario might lead to very sad ends and the government should raise awareness among their employees to avoid seeking such confidential information from individuals,” said Al Mamari.

Last February, the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) has cautioned the public against sharing personal data on the telephone with those claiming to be from a bank or a telecom company. The statement comes in the wake of a number of complaints every day. There have been a flurry of complaints about such fraudsters every day from different regions of the country.

“Don’t fall prey to callers claiming to be representatives of a bank or a telecom company that you have won a mega prize as public as advised to take precautionary measures before entertain such calls.

Now, it is the time for ITA to consider faceto-face transaction and maybe starts with government officials to avoid getting into details in individuals’ bank account info.

“People have to keep your bank card in a safe place and never share their card details with anyone either via Email, SMS and even for government officials. They have also to avoid writing down their PIN number, as it should be always memorized.