Bank Of St. Vincent Says It Is Aware Of Crime Involving ATMs

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, March 14, 2017 (CMC) – The Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ltd. (BOSVG) says it is aware of recent reports, regarding fraudulent activities at automated teller machines (ATMs) and that they may have affected some of its customers.

The statement comes as investigators at the Financial Investigations Unit were questioning three St. Lucians who are suspected to have been involved in an ATM scam that might have affected BOSVG customers.

The men were reported to have, in their possession, more than EC$70,000 (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) and sources say that police were searching for a fourth person, suspected of being involved in the scheme.

BOSVG did not refer to the police investigation in its statement, but said that the schemes “are not limited to any particular bank and are likely to have affected various institutions”.

The bank said it takes matters of customer safety and security very seriously, “and remains unwavering in our commitment to safeguarding the financial affairs of our valued customers. The Bank continues to implement technological solutions to mitigate instances of fraudulent activity”.

“In light of these reports, customers are therefore urged to continue to be vigilant when using ATMs,” the bank said, reminding customers that they too should follow some simple rules such as keeping their personal identification number (PIN) a secret.

The bank said it would continue to work closely with relevant authorities and financial sector stakeholders to ensure that” our customers are adequately protected”.