Here Are 3 Things You Should Do If Your Bank Account Gets Hacked

With almost all aspects of our daily lives moving online nowadays, it’s only natural that the banking industry would follow suit and prepare an online platform for the convenience of its users. With the rise of users for online banking, lurking in the shadows are the hackers waiting for an opportunity to bait unsuspecting victims. Even with all the latest technological advancements and security measures, they still somehow manage to run rampant in the digital world.

Bank Negara Malaysia stated that the number of internet banking individual subscribers for July 2020 rose to 33.6 million, from 30.8 million in January 2020.

So what are you supposed to do in the event that your online banking account gets hacked?

1. Notify Your Bank

If your account got hacked, there’s no doubt that the most crucial thing to do is to contact your bank and tell them of the predicament you’re in.

Contact your bank’s customer service instantly and get your account frozen before it gets worse. This will prevent the hackers, or anyone, from using the money in your account and prevent you from losing even more money.

Most banks have their own standard procedure or course of actions to take in this kind of situation. You will also be reimbursed the full amount of your lost money by the bank.

2. Check for Malware

Now that your account is frozen, the next step is figuring out how your account got compromised in the first place. Cybercriminals, or hackers, mainly use social engineering in order to obtain your login information.

Most times, hackers will contact victims and trick them into giving out personal information such as account passwords, birth date, and even your identity card number. From there, they can easily access your banking accounts and do as they please.

Another method is by installing malware that will allow these hackers to gain access to the victims’ devices. Distribution of these malwares comes in different forms, that includes sending links in email, files attached with viruses (pirated movies, songs, games, and so on), and many more.

If you were tricked to give out information, the only lesson to be learned is to not trust strangers and never give out personal information, and yes that includes to people you know or used to know in high school. However, if you were tricked to install malware unknowingly, the next step is removing the malware from your device.

If you have friends who are familiar with IT stuff, ask them for help. If you don’t, you can always go to your local laptop repair place and tell them what happened.

3. Change Your Passwords

This is the most logical thing to do after recognizing that your account has been hacked. Change your password as soon as you can to avoid falling victim to these hackers any more. It is the base of ensuring security even when you have no idea how your account got compromised.

Try creating a random password that you’ve never used for any social accounts before. A tip to remember is to combine random words together and add some numbers to throw the hackers off your scent.

Never trust anyone with your banking information, or any personal information for that matter. It doesn’t matter if the person calling you claims to be from the government or your bank, they will never ask for your account passwords. Hold on to that information with your life and never give it out.