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'FOX SEX POX'? PayNow's New Name-Masking System Leaves Some Users Amused
- Plan B
- Jun 9
- 1 min read
Some PayNow users have reported that their newly masked display names contain unintended obscene or humorous words following the rollout of a new name-masking system aimed at combating impersonation scams.
On FB, user Ron Foo shared a screenshot showing that their PayNow display name had been rendered as "FOX SEX POX" under the new masking system.
Another user, whose surname is See, joked in a FB post that "my entire family's surname just became NSFW (not safe for work)"
These incidents come amid criticism of the new name-masking system, with some netizens arguing that it may not be a sufficiently effective deterrent against scammers and others proposing alternative approaches.
Some netizens had also earlier predicted that the new masking system could produce unintentionally humorous name combinations.
The change, which took effect on 6 June 2026, replaced user-selected PayNow nicknames with partially masked versions of account holders' registered names.
Under the new system, selected letters of a user's name are displayed while the remaining characters are replaced with "X" to protect privacy.
The new naming format was introduced by the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) as part of efforts to reduce impersonation scams, which previously exploited the PayNow nickname feature by allowing scammers to pose as trusted individuals or organisations.
