E-statements issuance error due to technical glitch with service provider: RHB

KUALA LUMPUR – The cause for the issuance of wrong e-statements to RHB Banking Group’s customers yesterday has been identified as a technical glitch involving its service provider.
 
In a statement to The Vibes, a bank spokesman said the issue was rectified immediately after the error was discovered. 
 
“Affected customers were notified on the same day. The investigation is ongoing to determine the root cause of the incident.” 
 
The spokesman added that the bank views the matter seriously and is committed to ensuring customers’ information are protected at all times. 
 
“Customers’ data safety and security are our top priority,” he said, adding that those with concerns relating to their e-statement can forward their queries to [email protected]. 
 
However, the bank did not elaborate how many accounts were affected by the technical issue, or whether a person is able to check if his or her account is affected. 
 
The Vibes, in its earlier report, said that several RHB account holders had received e-statements belonging to other users, and that they were able to access the documents using their own passwords. 
 
Many expressed concern on the privacy breach, with personal information like full names, home addresses, transaction history, salary amount deposited and account numbers being available on the statement. 
 
In an immediate response to the incident yesterday, RHB issued a separate email to customers apologising for the error and urging them to refrain from opening the e-statements and to immediately delete the email. 
 
It added that a new e-statement will be sent as soon as possible after appropriate validation has been completed. 
 
The Vibes is made to understand that the issue largely concerns RHB current account holders, which include its Smart Account and Smart Account-I. 
 
Some customers told The Vibes that, upon checking with RHB’s hotline service, the bank was unable to specifically identify whose accounts were compromised. 
 
However, they were informed that the breach is unlikely to cause any major problems as the e-statements do not include sensitive details, like banking passwords or debit card numbers, which allow access to a person’s account. 
 
Data engineer Alvin Teoh had earlier said that the only concern following the breach is that those with ill intentions may use the details, such as home addresses, to commit a crime like robbery and break-ins. 
 
“As long as they don’t know your bank account password, there is not much to be worried about,” he had told The Vibes. – The Vibes, June 18, 2021