Some PayNow users' display names now contain 'obscene' word after new masked names took effect

Update on Jun. 9, 6:30pm: This article was updated with a statement from Association of Banks in Singapore.

Starting Jun. 6, names on PayNow were partially masked with "Xs" by default as nicknames were phased out in a bid to stop scammers.

For most, the change would be uneventful. Just a few letters of their names being swapped for an "X".

For some users, however, the change resulted in something much more creative.

One user, Sek Qin Rui, told Mothership, "Due to the recent masking of the usernames, my name has been changed to an obscene word."

His name on PayNow? "SEX QIX RUX".

Sek expressed the concern that the format of his PayNow display name will affect his business as a swimming coach whose students are mainly kids.

"If you were a parent who sees this when paying for your trial class with a coach, you would definitely be quite concerned, especially if they don’t know about how names are now masked," Sek shared.

On Facebook, another user claimed, "Nowadays bank [masks] name till like that. My name [became] so erotic."

This user's PayNow username is apparently now displayed as "FOX SEX POX".

One user, whose surname is See, remarked in a post, "My entire family's surname just became NSFW (not safe for work)."

It also has a visual resemblance to a cross-out mark.

The name display format was tested through industry and consumer studies.

In response to Mothership's queries, Ong-Ang Ai Boon, Director of ABS, said on Jun. 9 that it is aware of feedback regarding the update.

It explained that "X's" were chosen to hide certain letters as not all PayNow-related systems across the 29 participating institutions support the use of special characters, such as asterisks.

"ABS decided on this approach to swiftly disable a tool being exploited by scammers while maintaining a smooth PayNow experience. We seek customers' understanding and will continue to review feedback for future improvements," it said.