PIN verification move long overdue, say users

PETALING JAYA: Local credit and debit card users say the move to a PIN-enabled security system is long overdue.

“A written signature is obsolete, and a PIN is more practical in the present and future as far as security is concerned,” said retiree Lau Ye, 56.

He spends a lot of time in Europe and prefers the PIN system in use there.

“The PIN has been in use in all banking transactions from activa­ting accounts to identification, including global fund transfers.

“The only vetting if you use a handwritten signature is the waitress looking at your credit card!” he quipped.

Lawyer Sheila De Costa, 50, said the enhanced security would make the convenience of cashless transactions even more appealing.

“Retailers hardly ever check that the signature belongs to the person signing anyway,” she said.

Restaurateur Debbie Lee said that if her card was stolen, it was highly unlikely that anyone would guess her PIN.

“It’s too easy to copy a signature. I had my bag stolen at KLCC and my card was used so quickly, even though I called to inform the bank – the thief had gone shopping and bought luggage, and even filled petrol in the car!” she said.

Company director Jasmine Ha­­neef, 40, often wondered why the system had not been implemented in Malaysia.

“Signatures are a really weak form of security and no one checks anyway,” she said.

“Using a PIN definitely feels more secure. If you type it incorrectly, it just won’t accept and doesn’t allow you to revert to signature.”