Scotiabank says it is reimbursing customers who had been affected by last weekend’s fraudulent debit card activity.
In a statement, the bank said that while investigations are continuing and the matter is in the hands of the authorities, it has been “in contact with impacted customers and is working with them to have their reimbursements fast tracked”.
The bank gave no details as to the amount of money being reimbursed to the customers, but added that it was urging “customers who suspect any fraudulent activity on their accounts to contact us immediately”.
“At Scotiabank, we are committed to keeping customers’ accounts and financial information safe and secure. We remind customers to use caution when conducting Debit Card transactions. Only use cards at reputable locations, never let the card out of your sight and use the PIN pad discreetly. Also, you should never respond to messages that ask for confidential bank information.”
The bank also announced that it had recently introduced “alerts which allow customers to receive real-time notifications about activity on their accounts.
“We encourage customers to sign up for online banking to so that they can benefit from this free feature,” it added.
Police have been investigating the crime after thieves using skimming devices, gained access to accounts at several banks here including Scotiabank.
One newspaper said that the alarm was raised from the voice note of a woman who recounted her horror of trying to withdraw money, only to realise that it was gone.
Police have since said that they had arrested a 30-year-old and charged him with two counts of theft of money.
Police said that he had entered the island on July 3 and a few days later stole significant sums of money belonging to Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Limited and CIBC First Caribbean International Bank Barbados Limited.
They said the man is due to appear in court later on Wednesday.
