Metrobank urges vigilance, assures stringent verification

LOCAL banking giant Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. has called on the public to be mindful of banking security measures while assuring that stringent measures are in place to curb risks from the recent Commission on Election data leak.

“With reference to the news reports on leaked voters’ information, Metrobank assures its customers that this will not affect any of its bank transactions,” the bank said in a press statement issued on Tuesday night.

Metrobank said it had strong security measures and stringent customer verification processes in place to ensure the protection of its customer accounts.

“All bank transactions go through a strict know-your-customer process,” the bank said. “The bank does not solely rely on information like name, address or birthday to verify identity before processing banking transactions.”

Nonetheless, the banking public was urged to remain vigilant and to actively participate in ensuring the safe handling of personal details by adhering to the following:

– Regularly change PIN (personal identification number) and password;
– Do not disclose OTP (one-time-password) and password to anyone;
– Regularly check your account balances;
– Avoid posting any personal information on social media, like email address, date of birth, and phone number;
– Avoid using PINs and passwords that are easy to predict. Birth dates, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, or any personal information publicly disclosed are obvious picks;
– Transact only through secure websites;
– Access your account from a secure location;
– Be wary of sites asking for personal information.
– For suspicious transactions or if you may have disclosed sensitive information to a third party, call Metrobank contact center at (02) 8700-700 or domestic toll free at 1-800-1888-5775.