Scotiabank to reimburse victims of recent cyber fraud attack

Debit card holders who fell victim to the recent cyber fraud attack will be reimbursed, says Scotiabank.

The bank says it has been reaching out to affected customers.

The bank confirmed that there has been a fraud attempt affecting some debit cardholders but says it is not widespread.

It also said the fraud attempt is not related to credit cards and not directly related to Google Pay or Play.

Yesterday, the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC), which is part of the Cyber Incident Response Team Division in the Office of the Prime Minister, issued a statement saying that it is looking into reports of the debit and credit cards of some Scotiabank customers being compromised, where it appears that cyber thieves have been using the cards to set up Google Pay/Play accounts and then make small purchases.

The release came amid several complaints made on social media by Scotiabank customers who claimed that they were the victims of an online fraud.

The NSOC, in its statement, noted that while there have been no formal reports to it, the division, or the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team, the situation appears to be becoming more widespread, and that division continues to investigate the anecdotal evidence currently on social media.

Scotiabank says cyber security incidents are a reality of banking in a digital age, noting that it continuously monitors and assesses potential threats through its Fraud Monitoring Unit.

The bank says it has made significant investments in cyber protection and, according to it, the vast majority of fraud attempts are diverted.

"Unfortunately, sometimes scam attempts are successful, and we take all such cases seriously and work with every affected client to address each case. We have been reaching out to affected clients to address this matter, and all clients impacted by this incident will be reimbursed."

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