Dear Claudienne,

I have an account at Scotiabank, May Pen branch. In October 2022, I logged on to online banking and realised several ABM transactions were done on my account from October 14 to 21. I was told that the transactions were done with a joint account holder’s card. I contacted the joint holder, my elderly mother, and she confirmed that she had her card and was unaware of the transactions.

On a subsequent call to the call centre, the representative said that the joint account holder, my mother, needed to call in and start the dispute process for the transactions. My mother called in and was told that she had to visit the branch to start the dispute process. I tried to get these transactions investigated, but I was told that I could not request the investigation because my card was not the card used for the withdrawals. However, since I called in to report the transactions, they blocked my card.

The transactions were eventually reported via e-mail, but the only response I got was that the issue was resolved unfavourably, without an explanation as to why that was so. They also pointed out that my card was blocked, even though they blocked it because I called in to report the transactions.

Scotiabank has done nothing to assist me in getting answers about who or how my account was accessed. In December 2022, I was advised that they have pictures of the withdrawals at the ABM but are only allowed to share them “with the local police upon their request which is driven by a request for investigation by the customer.” I filed a report with the Fraud Squad. The Fraud Squad requested the information from the bank, but the bank has not complied with the court order to provide the information.

I reported the transactions to several senior managers at the May Pen Scotiabank branch office from October 2022. On October 20, 2023, I e-mailed the bank and advised them that I had reported the matter to the police. The police told me that the information was requested from the bank; but that it has not been provided. The bank responded that they received the court order, and were putting the information together.The bank told me that the information would be handed over as soon as it was available. On November 3, 2023, I e-mailed the bank for an update, but did not get a response.

On November 8, 2023, I e-mailed the bank again and the response was: “As mentioned before we are compiling the information based on the court order, we will get back to you in the next 10 business days.” On November 24, 2023, I e-mailed for an update and Scotiabank’s response said,“Most of the information has been compiled, we are however awaiting additional footage as soon as some is received we will conclude.”

In response to my November 28, 2023 e-mail, the bank said that the information should be available in another week. However, up to December 11, 2023, the bank had not updated me on the matter. Before the transactions were done, my mother’s card was used at an in-branch ABM. My suspicion is that the card was cloned and used to do these transactions.

I hope you can assist me with getting this matter resolved.

JJ

Dear JJ,

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with Scotiabank in regard to your concerns. On July 1, 2025 Scotiabank sent Tell Claudienne the following e-mail: “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. At Scotiabank, ensuring the satisfaction of our clients and timely resolution of issues when they arise is of the utmost importance. We have been in dialogue with our client and have provided law enforcement with all the documentation requested under the court order issued in relation to this matter.

As per our privacy policy, we are unable to provide the specifics of the matter. We would however like to take this opportunity to remind our clients of the importance of monitoring their transactions to protect their accounts and ensure the early detection of suspicious activity. We also encourage clients to make full use of our online and mobile banking platforms, including signing up for alerts to manage their accounts, and remind them to contact us immediately if they suspect unauthorized access to their accounts.”

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876-936-9436 or Cell/WhatsApp # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone
number.