Spotting BigPay Scams And How To Tell If It’s Real

We hear you. Over the past few months, we’ve gotten reports from all of you regarding the scams that have been happening. Covid-19 has changed the way we all live and it seems like it’s not just us adapting to the new norm - but fraudsters are too.

We’ve all heard about bank scammers and it’s not surprising that BigPay is getting hit now too. Scammers will always find a way and we’ve noticed a new pattern in scams where fraudsters will try new ways to convince you to hand over login details via texts and calls.

Before moving on, it’s important to remember that we never send text messages asking for security information or for you to click on a link. If you get a text message like this, chances are it’s a scam.

What Type of Scams Are Happening Today?

These sneaky fraudsters have come up with so many different ways to steal your hard-earned cash. We found that these are some of the types of scams that are going around that you might come across:

Scams Via Phone & SMS

You might get a phone call or an SMS from someone that’s pretending to be a BigPay staff member that will try to mislead you into giving away important information.

Some of them have even gone the extra mile to impersonate us by using our logo as their profile images.

Image taken from BigPay Community Malaysia Facebook group

As you can see, these scammers and fraudsters are going the extra mile to make it seem like you are really talking to us.

Phishing Scams

A phishing scam happens when you receive fake emails or are asked to access suspicious links or websites. From there, they will trick you into entering personal data like your card details.

These are especially dangerous as phishing scams can collect information like your banking username and password which allows them to take full control over your finances.

Why Is This Happening To BigPay Customers?

This is a question we get asked a lot since scammers are growing quite rapidly recently all over the country.

We also understand that there are concerns surrounding the security of your data in the internal BigPay system. One thing that we can confirm is there has not been a data leak or breach of any of our BigPay customer data.

The only way you can be scammed is if you give out your One Time Password (OTP) or login links. This is the number you get whenever you initiate a purchase or a transfer. The scammers use this number to then perform transactions or even change your password to be able to take control of your BigPay account.

So How Did The Scammers Get Your Phone Number?

Truth be told, we think that it’s most likely that these scammers purchased it from telemarketing companies. Other ways that information like this could have leaked out is more so with the rise of checking into restaurants and shops lately due to Covid-19.

This depends on these scamming syndicates' willingness to spend the money - which they can easily do to obtain this chunk of initial customer data.

In addition to that, they can easily scrape the data available on sites like Facebook or Twitter to gather more personal information.

This is an industry wide problem as we also know that a lot of banks have seen an increase in phishing crimes. We also believe that since BigPay wallets can hold a larger sum of cash, these scammers are more prone to attack BigPay users as the “payout” seems bigger.

How Do You Tell It’s Really Us?

Since these scammers are getting increasingly creative, calls or text messages may seem like they’re from BigPay, so if you receive an unexpected call or text message from us, use these pointers to determine if it’s really us:

In a text message, BigPay will not:

• Send you a link to a website and ask you to provide private information (such as a One Time Password (OTP), official login links, phone number or your PIN) to redeem cash prizes

• Claim that we’ve detected suspicious activity on your account. (Any official communications regarding ACTUAL suspicious activity on your account will only be done via email. Our official email address is support.my@bigpayme.com)

To contact you by phone, we will not:

• Call you using a personal mobile number

• Call you on WhatsApp

• Reach out to you to request for private information (such as your login links, OTP, date of birth or your PIN)

Also note: We would never reach out to you without prior engagement and arrangements made.

Outside the BigPay app, we will not ask for:

• Your PIN number (this is the 6 digit number you use to log in, make card payments or withdraw money from an ATM)

• The full 16 digit number on your card or three digit number (CVV) on the back of your card

• Other passwords like your email address password or other private information

What Should You Do If A Scammer Calls You?

If you do get a phone call or an SMS from someone pretending to be from BigPay, a bank clerk or even someone you trust - do not panic. Take a moment to gather your thoughts and follow some of the steps below:

• Hang up or dismiss the interaction immediately

• Using the information above, you can determine the legitimacy of the message or phone call.

• If you determine it to be a scam, immediately block and report the phone number.

• Do not respond if someone asks you to confirm your CVV on the back of the card (the last three digits on the back of the card) or your login links & OTP/TAC for any reason. End the call right away.

• Do not respond or click any links to fake emails or SMS from suspicious links or unknown senders seeking personal information.

• Do not respond to a request seeking for you to validate or verify your personal information or details of any transaction.

More Ways To Protect Your Money

Situations like these can happen to anyone, so staying alert is really important. Here are some added measures to help you keep your money safe:

Question Who You’re Talking To

These scammers may know basic details about you and can easily fake phone numbers, names and email addresses but they won’t know everything.

Question them until you’re certain that they are legitimate. The safest way around this if you are unsure is to hang up and then immediately call your bank.

Usually you can find the customer service number at the back of your bank card.

Take Your Time

Scammers will often try to scare you into giving out details by claiming that you account is under threat and you need to take immediate action.

Banks and financial services will never try to incite panic and fear to get you to give up sensitive information on the spot.

If you feel like you are being pressured, tell them that you’ll think about it and hang up. Then, get in touch directly with the official phone number of the banks you can easily find at the back of your card.

Know Your Rights - Say No

If you experience any of the above instances and your gut feeling is telling you something is off, you have all the right to say ‘NO’ and hang up. You should never be forced into doing something you’re not comfortable with.

Staying Safe Is A Team Effort

When in doubt, contact your card issuer to get confirmation as soon as possible. It’s always better to ask and get some answers before you act on something. If you're a BigPay user, talk to us via our in-app chat service and temporarily freeze your card.

Keeping your money safe is serious business, that’s why we’ve made some brand new updates to your BigPay app.

As of 26th of October 2021, we have upgraded the way you log into your BigPay app. Instead of the normal 6-pin OTP SMS, you will receive a dedicated login link that will send you immediately to the BigPay login screen.

This login link ensures that only a phone with YOUR mobile number can log into your BigPay account.

Now that you’re equipped with ways to spot scams, together let’s keep fraudsters away.

If you've been affected by a scam, chat with our team inside your BigPay app immediately or send us a message to support.my@bigpayme.com