I’ve continued to look for updates to recent reports of a breach affecting banks in the Bahamas. Is this related, I wonder:
Banks and other financial institutions across the Caribbean have been impacted by a security breach at a financial institution in the region.
This potential security breach can result in the compromise of a number of Visa and MasterCard branded debit and credit cards.
Consequently, out of an abundance of caution, your bank or credit union may be contacting you to have your card replaced. Please note that these measures are precautionary because at this point no fraud has been attributed to this case.
Our member banks and other financial institutions throughout the region take client confidentiality and security very seriously and provide assurance that customer interest remains soundly protected.
Your understanding and patience are greatly appreciated.
This is an update from the Caribbean Association of Banks.
Previous reports had indicated that the breach affecting banks in the Bahamas was at an overseas processor or acquiring bank. This is talking about a financial institution “in the region.” Hmmm….
Update: Yes, it appears to be part of the same large incident. Caribbean360 reports, “Reports in the media have suggested that the breach took place at a data centre in Barbados where sensitive information on the accounts of thousands of card holders was stolen. ”
Update 2: Guardian Media now reports:
The Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) issued a security alert yesterday, saying banks and other financial institutions had been affected by the breach at a data centre in Barbados, where sensitive information on the accounts of thousands of cardholders was stolen.
[…]
The [Caribbean Association of Banks] added those measures were precautionary and no fraud had been attributed to this case. The CAB has members in 17 Caribbean countries, including T&T. Regional media reports said the unnamed international card-processing facility in Barbados had been hacked last month.
[…]
An Observer story quoted Jessel Gadsby, general manager of the St Kitts-based Caribbean Credit Card Corporation, as saying: “I believe it is nearly all of the banks in the Caribbean, certainly all of the banks in the Eastern Caribbean have been impacted by it.”
In the Bahamas, Anwer Sunderji, CEO of Fidelity Bank, was reported as saying: “All Bahamian banks had their card data compromised. This theft took place elsewhere and we were notified by Visa on Friday.”