Security nightmare: 85% of Singaporeans use the same pin for cards and phones

Seriously, are they asking to be robbed?

Many people in Singapore are in danger of losing their savings to thieves and scammers because they use the same security numbers across all their bank and credit cards.

To make matters worse up to 85% of us replicate their banking PIN (Personal Identification Number) as their phone unlock code, putting themselves at great risk of falling victim to crime.

A survey with financial services website EnjoyCompare.com revealed that many people's choice of PIN was "terrifyingly lax", with easy-to-remember number combinations being worryingly popular.

"All it takes is an observant criminal to watch you unlocking your mobile device, and there's every chance he's got your bank number as well," said EnjoyCompare.co’s Mark Hall, "Then it's a case of a well-timed pickpocketing or purse snatch, and you're in real trouble."

According to a phone poll of over 500 credit and bank card holders in Singapore:

85% admitted that they use the same numbers for their bank PIN and phone unlock screen
73% said that if they had more than one bank card, they would change the PINs so they were all the same
34% said that they used easy-to-remember number combinations like "0000" and "1234" for their security numbers

According to EnjoyCompare.com, one of the most worrying aspects of the research is the lack of imagination that goes into thinking up personal pass codes, with a sizeable number of those surveyed picking from the same common combinations.

"Experts have said for years that easy-to-remember numbers only make theft easier," said Mark, "Yet we still resort to these terrifyingly lax habits and we still keep getting robbed."

An analysis carried out in the UK two years ago found that over ten per cent of card holders used 1234 as a PIN, with another 6% choosing the equally insecure 1111. Other commonly-used "danger" numbers are 0000, 1212 and 1397.

Earlier research by a US-based data security analyst found that the most common numbers for phone lock screens are 0000, 1234, 1111, and 2580 (the four numbers in sequence from top to bottom on a keypad), with 15% of people using the same ten number combinations.

"People think they're being cute when they use 1397," says Hall, "but it's just the four corners of a standard keypad in sequence. That's not too hard for a fraudster to guess."

Enjoy Compare puts the problem down to the busy lives of the average Singaporean, where we're bombarded with the need for increasingly complex passwords for email, work systems, Facebook and the like. According to Mark, setting all your devices to the same pass number is just a symptom of life's complexity that can easily be rectified.

"Be wise with your money," says EnjoyCompare.com, "take a few minutes out of your schedule and reset your pass codes. It could save you a small fortune."