Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) seeks to keep Sabahans well informed on the various services provided by BNM through its Karnival Kewangan Sabah 2017, which is holding its closing ceremony today, Sunday 6 Aug, at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall.

The carnival, which was launched on Friday, features exhibition booths comprised of the various financial-related institutions from around the country.

BNM has been showcasing its various services and products throughout the three-day carnival.

Among the services that are currently on display at the BNM booth during the carnival is the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS).

The CCRIS is a system created by BNM, which synthesises credit information about a borrower or potential borrowers into standardised credit reports.

BNM's LINK Department and Regional Office (JLPW) Director Datin Arlina Ariff said that CCRIS is not something that the public should be afraid of.

"The CCRIS is not a ‘blacklist'. It is just a report that checks your credit obligations and this would usually include your hire purchase obligations, PTPTN loans, credit card obligations etc.

"CCRIS enables members of the public to print out their reports.

"If there happen to be any disputes regarding the results of these reports, the public can always clarify their concerns with BNM" Arlina explained.

It was understood that banks would forward all the individual banking information to BNM and it will then be visible on CCRIS.

However, she stressed that all the information are kept safely by BNM.

"No one can check your CCRIS for you but yourself. You would need to present your MyKad and thumbprint if you were to conduct a CCRIS check-up.

"Other people are not allowed to do it on your behalf, even with a formal letter" she said.

The best of all is the fact that the CCRIS service is absolutely free, Arlina added.

As of now, CCRIS services are available at the BNM headquarters and at the regional offices in Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Bahru and Penang.

She further explained that CCRIS reports may also be checked online or through e-mail.

She asserted that it advisable for one to check their CCRIS reports twice a year.

Commenting on the level of awareness on the importance of CCRIS, Arlina admitted that it is still unsatisfactory.

Even though CCRIS has been around for ten years, some are still in the dark about the function of this service, she said.

Other than CCRIS, the BNM booth will also be showcasing other relevant services such as a guide on how to detect get rich quick schemes or any sort of scams, BNMLink and BNMTelelink, BNM's mobile applications and much more.

The carnival has been a success so far as thousands of people attended the event in the first two days alone.