The warning was issued after a bank customer in Malang, East Java, lost Rp1.4 billion (US$92,480) after opening a wedding invitation with the .apk format on WhatsApp.
"Data and information can be stolen by fraudsters if people install applications from unofficial sources sent by irresponsible people," head of the Malang branch of BRI, Sutoyo Akhmad Fajar, said in an official statement received here on Friday.
The bank has opened an investigation into the reported case, he informed. The customer is a victim of social engineering fraud, he said.
The victim gave away their banking transaction data—which should be kept secret—to irresponsible persons, so their money was taken easily, he added.
Fajar expressed his regret over the incident and sympathies for the victim. The bank can only return the money if such an incident is caused by an error in the bank's system, he added.
The state-owned bank also appealed to people to immediately contact BRI at 14017 or 1500017, if they receive similar notifications as the defrauded customer, be it through a short message or e-mail, about a transaction they have not conducted, he said. Moreover, customers must not trust unofficial social media handles that pretend to be BRI, he added.
Fajar said that BRI's official webpage is www.bri.co.id, and its handle on Instagram is @bankbri_id; Twitter bankbri_id, kontak bri, and promo_bri; Facebook, Bank BRI; YouTube, Bank BRI; TikTok, Bank BRI: and its numbers are 14017 or 1500017.
Ever since social engineering fraud cases targeting bank customers emerged in the previous year, companies have aggressively educated customers to remain cautious of the various types of modus operandi used by fraudsters and reminded them to keep their data a secret.
Companies have also actively coordinated with police to investigate and arrest those perpetrating banking fraud and harming people.
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Translator: Agatha Olivia Victoria, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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