Nickname your bank account, should you keep it or drop it?

(Dan Tri) - Experts admit that the nickname feature brings convenience and friendliness when transacting, but believe that this is not suitable in a formal environment such as a bank.

The State Bank is seeking comments on a draft circular amending and supplementing Circular 15 regulating non-cash payment services. Detailed regulations on eliminating nicknames to avoid mistaken transfers when making payment orders and the maximum time for interruption of online banking and e-wallet services are provided in the draft.

Accordingly, the State Bank requires payment service providers to check and control payment orders, ensure that the payment account number and payment account name are correctly displayed in the customer's application for opening and using payment accounts during transactions, and fully displayed on documents.

Convenience but also security

Ba Dat (2002, Gia Lai ), an account user at a large bank, highly appreciates the feature of giving a nickname to the recipient's account because it helps transactions to be quick and easy to identify, especially with acquaintances. He said he has never had an incident of transferring money to the wrong person thanks to this feature.

Regarding the proposal to remove it to limit fraud, Dat expressed regret and said that this is a practical utility that has been carefully considered when implementing. As a Gen Z, he supports the trend of personalization in banking applications, but ensuring both convenience and safety is necessary.

Many young users believe that using nicknames when transferring money helps transactions go faster (Photo: Nhu Nguyet).

Hong Ngan (born in 2005), a second-year student at FPT University, said that using a nickname helps her work faster and identify the recipient easily, especially with repeated transactions. However, there was a time when she transferred the wrong rent money because she hastily chose between two people with similar nicknames: “landlord Hung 1” and “shipper Hung 2”.

Regarding the proposal to remove the nickname feature to limit confusion and fraud, Ngan said that this is only an optional feature. Users should carefully check the information before confirming, and cannot completely remove it because of some errors.

However, she admitted that if this feature was removed, the customer experience like hers would not be affected too much. Currently, many people have switched to using QR codes, which are faster and safer.

Should I keep or remove my account nickname?

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Huan, Lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH), said that using nicknames in bank accounts can create misunderstandings, leading to cases of wrong transfers or fraud.

Although nicknames are not the only cause, he emphasized that this is one of many factors that make users easily fooled, especially when scammers intentionally use names similar to those of familiar people to cause confusion.

According to him, current forms of fraud are very diverse and increasingly sophisticated, especially when supported by technology such as artificial intelligence (AI). Therefore, eliminating nicknames and displaying only real names in bank accounts is necessary to limit risks.

He also emphasized that nicknames are only suitable for social networks like Facebook, and should not be applied in official environments like banks - places directly related to money, where authenticity and transparency need to be put first.

From another perspective, Dr. Nguyen Trung Hieu, Head of the Banking Department, University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) said that this is a popular personalization trend globally, making transactions more convenient and friendly. According to him, the risks mainly come from user behavior and the incomplete authentication system, not from the feature itself. Instead of eliminating it, it is necessary to raise financial awareness and improve warning and authentication technology.

Specifically, account nicknames are not only convenient but also an important personalization factor, especially for Gen Z - a group of users who love intimate experiences.

He believes that the risks of fraud when using nicknames come from blind trust in familiar names or transactions under pressure. This risk is common in all digital platforms, not just nicknames. Therefore, removing nicknames to limit risks is considered a defensive and unsustainable solution. Mr. Hieu warns that this can cause new risks such as entering the wrong long account number or being scammed via fake QR codes.

The expert proposed several technical solutions to maintain the nickname feature safely and effectively. According to him, nicknames should be associated with verified accounts, each account should be given only one nickname, and there should be a keyword censorship mechanism to avoid sensitive or duplicate content.

Experts say that nicknames are only suitable for social networking sites and should not be applied in the banking environment (Photo: Nhat Quang).

During the transaction, the system must clearly display both real name and nickname, absolutely do not use nickname to log in or authenticate the account. The interface should be designed intuitively, with clear warnings such as "You are transferring money to Nguyen Van A - Nickname: @abc", and add authentication layers such as OTP code or biometrics to enhance security.

In addition, he also suggested that banks integrate features such as suspicious nickname warnings, allowing users to mark them as “trusted”, reporting fraud, or a system that automatically disables nicknames when detecting unusual behavior.

According to the explanation of the State Bank, in reality, there have been a number of cases of taking advantage of the fact that banks allow customers to use aliases and nicknames instead of payment account numbers and names to name themselves similar to reputable brands to commit fraud and violate the law.

In addition, using aliases and nicknames in payment transactions can lead to the risk of transferring money incorrectly due to not fully displaying the account number and account name when making a payment order.

Currently, many banks in Vietnam - from state-owned to private commercial sectors - are implementing the feature of setting nicknames for accounts. Instead of having to remember long account numbers, users can use a personalized, easier-to-remember name to make quick and convenient internal transactions on digital banking applications.

According to banks, setting up account nicknames not only helps speed up operations but also increases personalization and reduces errors when transferring money. Some banks also allow changing nicknames multiple times and for free, depending on each unit's policy.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/dat-biet-danh-cho-tai-khoan-ngan-hang-nen-giu-hay-bo-20250721072640479.htm