'I am deeply sorry': MoneySmart CEO apologises after data breach; affected customers speak out“我深感抱歉”：MoneySmart首席执行官就数据泄露事件道歉；受影响的客户纷纷发声
MoneySmart chief executive officer Vinod Nair has apologised following a data breach that affected some customers in Singapore and Hong Kong, after an unauthorised third party accessed the financial platform's internal IT systems and copied personal data.Affected users received emails from MoneySmart on Nov 3, informing them that an unauthorised third party had accessed internal IT systems, resulting in personal...
MoneySmart chief executive officer Vinod Nair has apologised following a data breach that affected some customers in Singapore and Hong Kong, after an unauthorised third party accessed the financial platform's internal IT systems and copied personal data.
Affected users received emails from MoneySmart on Nov 3, informing them that an unauthorised third party had accessed internal IT systems, resulting in personal data being copied.
The company said it discovered the incident on Oct 29.
Two AsiaOne readers, a man and a woman who declined to be named, said their names, email addresses and mobile numbers were compromised in the breach.
"I was concerned when I learned about the breach, especially because personal information can be used in targeted scams," said the man.
"Data breaches are a known risk, but it is still worrying when it affects you personally."
While neither reader reported any financial losses, the male reader said he is now taking extra steps to be careful with messages and calls, verifying requests through official channels and monitoring his bank transactions for suspicious activity.
Meanwhile, the woman said she noticed an increase in phishing messages in the days leading up to news of the data breach, as well as an attempted login to her Trip.com account. She added that she had previously purchased travel insurance through MoneySmart.
She is now actively ignoring phishing messages and reporting incidents as they happen, she said.
On whether he intends to continue using MoneySmart, the man said he is taking a wait-and-see approach while assessing how the company strengthens its security measures.
"The MoneySmart incident is a reminder that even basic personal information, such as names, email addresses and phone numbers, can be used to make scams more convincing," he said.
"Affected users should be cautious of unexpected messages, avoid sharing one-time passwords, and verify requests directly through official channels."
MoneySmart CEO apologises
"I am deeply sorry to everyone affected," the platform's chief executive officer Vinod Nair said in a statement.
"Customers trust us with information about their financial lives, and we take that responsibility very seriously."
Nair said the company moved quickly to stop the unauthorised access and secure its systems after discovering the incident.
In the email to customers seen by AsiaOne, MoneySmart said the incident had been reported to relevant authorities, including the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as well as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in Hong Kong.
The company has also engaged independent cybersecurity and forensics experts to investigate the incident.
MoneySmart added that it is contacting affected customers directly to explain what data was involved and the steps they can take to protect themselves.
"MoneySmart continues to operate as normal, and we are committed to supporting our customers," Nair said.
He added: "We are reviewing everything that led to this incident and making the changes needed to prevent it from happening again."
AsiaOne has contacted MoneySmart, the PDPC and MAS for more information.
khooyihang@asiaone.com
MoneySmart 首席执行官 Vinod Nair 就一起影响新加坡和香港部分客户的数据泄露事件道歉。此前，未经授权的第三方访问了该金融平台的内部 IT 系统并复制了个人数据。
受影响的用户于 11 月 3 日收到 MoneySmart 发送的电子邮件，告知他们未经授权的第三方已访问内部 IT 系统，导致个人数据被复制。
该公司表示，他们于10月29日发现了这起事件。
两名AsiaOne读者（一男一女，均不愿透露姓名）表示，他们的姓名、电子邮件地址和手机号码在此次数据泄露事件中遭到泄露。
“得知数据泄露事件后，我感到很担忧，尤其是个人信息可能会被用于有针对性的诈骗活动，”该男子说道。
“数据泄露是一种已知的风险，但当它影响到你个人时，仍然令人担忧。”
虽然两位读者都表示没有遭受任何经济损失，但男读者表示，他现在正在采取额外措施，谨慎处理信息和电话，通过官方渠道核实请求，并监控银行交易是否存在可疑活动。
与此同时，该女子表示，在数据泄露事件曝光前的几天里，她注意到收到的钓鱼邮件数量有所增加，而且有人试图登录她的Trip.com账户。她还补充说，她之前曾通过MoneySmart购买过旅行保险。
她说，她现在会主动忽略钓鱼邮件，并在事件发生时立即举报。
当被问及是否打算继续使用 MoneySmart 时，该男子表示，他将采取观望态度，同时评估该公司如何加强其安全措施。
他说：“MoneySmart事件提醒我们，即使是姓名、电子邮件地址和电话号码等基本个人信息，也可能被用来使诈骗更具说服力。”
“受影响的用户应警惕意外消息，避免分享一次性密码，并通过官方渠道直接验证请求。”
MoneySmart首席执行官道歉
“我对所有受影响的人深表歉意，”该平台首席执行官维诺德·奈尔在一份声明中表示。
“客户信任我们，将他们的财务信息托付给我们，我们非常重视这份责任。”
奈尔表示，公司在发现该事件后迅速采取行动，阻止未经授权的访问并保护其系统。
在AsiaOne看到的MoneySmart发给客户的电子邮件中，该公司表示已将该事件报告给相关部门，包括新加坡个人资料保护委员会（PDPC）、新加坡金融管理局（MAS）以及香港个人资料私隐专员公署。
该公司还聘请了独立的网络安全和取证专家来调查这起事件。
MoneySmart补充说，他们正在直接联系受影响的客户，解释涉及哪些数据以及他们可以采取哪些措施来保护自己。
“MoneySmart将继续正常运营，我们将致力于为客户提供支持，”奈尔说。
他补充说：“我们正在审查导致这起事件的所有因素，并做出必要的改变，以防止此类事件再次发生。”
AsiaOne已联系MoneySmart、PDPC和MAS以获取更多信息。
khooyihang@asiaone.com