JN Bank says while investigations are still underway, it can confirm that several customers in St Thomas have been victims of card-skimming fraud.

In a media release, JN Bank said reports were made by 13 of its members from its Morant Bay branch that unauthorised transactions were made on their JN Bank accounts via ATMs and point-of-sale terminals. It said the initial reports were made on Monday, January 8, for transactions that took place between January 6 and 7, with an additional six reports made on January 9.

Based on the preliminary findings, JN Bank said it has been confirmed that its members were victims of card-skimming.

This particular fraud involves using card data to create a duplicate card. The data used to create the duplicate is usually obtained by attaching devices to ATMs and point-of-sale machines that have ‘card reading’ capabilities. The information picked up by these machines are not visible to the naked eye.

This particular kind of fraud has been plaguing banks for many years, both here in Jamaica and globally.

The bank confirmed that their preliminary findings suggest that the fraud did not originate with any of the JN Bank ATMs or POS machines and they are in dialogue with other financial institutions who are also conducting investigations. The local police has also been made aware of the fraudulent activities.

In an official statement, the bank emphasised that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy for fraud and has assured that it is “moving expeditiously with our investigations into the incidents in keeping with our policies and procedures”. JN Bank stressed that it is in constant contact with affected members as well as the wider membership to educate them on ways that they can protect themselves from this kind of crime.

JN Bank is reminding members to:

1. Monitor their text message and email alerts carefully.
2. Be observant at all ATMs and POS machines.
3. Protect their PINs.
4. Never let their card out of sight when making purchases.

JN Bank is also reminding all its members that any identified discrepancy or unauthorised activity is to be reported to its Member Care Centre or any local JN branch immediately. The Member Care Centre can be reached at 888-991-4065/6. The centre is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including Sundays and public holidays.