ST THOMAS, Jamaica— A major investigation has been launched into unauthorised withdrawals from at least 19 Jamaica National (JN) Bank accounts over two days.

In a release Thursday morning, the bank said that on Monday, January 8, 13 of its members in Morant Bay, St Thomas, reported unknown ATM and point-of-sale (POS) withdrawals from their JN Bank accounts between January 6 and 7. The bank said an additional six reports were received on Tuesday, January 9.

According to the bank, “Preliminary findings indicate that the affected members’ debit cards were skimmed”.

Card skimming is a form of fraud where criminals capture data from a bank card, which they use to create a duplicate card. They commonly do this by affixing devices at automated teller machines (ATMs) and on point-of-sale (POS) machines that can ‘read’ the card. These attachments are carefully affixed so that they are not easily detected by anyone.

Over the years, debit card skimming has affected several deposit-taking institutions and continues to be a challenge in Jamaica and around the world.

“Investigations so far have confirmed that the breach did not occur at a JN Bank ATM or POS machine. We are in dialogue with other financial institutions, which are also investigating,” said the bank as it added that the police have advised that they are aware of fraudulent activities at ATMs in Morant Bay.

“In keeping with normal activities, we continue to monitor all JN Bank accounts to ensure their integrity. At JN Bank we maintain zero tolerance for fraud, and we are moving expeditiously with our investigations into the incidents in keeping with our policies and procedures. We are in dialogue with the affected members and our wider membership base, and continue to educate all members and the public about ways to protect themselves against financial crimes and other wanton activities,” the bank added.

It has urged its customers who identify discrepancies or unauthorised activity on their accounts to contact its Member Care Centre or visit their nearest JN Bank branch immediately to report it.

“Our Member Care Centre can be reached at 888-991-4065/6, which is available 24/7, including weekends and public holidays,” the bank informed.

It has also urged its members to monitor their text message and email alerts carefully, be observant at all ATMs and POS machines, protect their PINs and never let their card out of sight when making purchases.