Some POSB and DBS Bank customers informed DBS on Wednesday that unauthorized withdrawals were made in Malaysia through their DBS/POSB ATM and debit cards.
As at 8pm Thursday, about 200 customers have informed the bank of unauthorized withdrawals. The average amount withdrawn was about S$1,000.
DBS Bank's managing director and head for consumer banking group (Singapore), Jeremy Soo, told MediaCorp that the bank de-activated the cards immediately and it is now taking steps to compensate affected customers in full.
DBS says anyone who believes that their ATM or debit cards may have been compromised should contact the bank immediately on 1800-220-1111 or visit any DBS/POSB branch.
It assures customers that they will be fully compensated for any unauthorised withdrawals within 24 hours.
DBS adds that investigations are under way and it is validating all ATM/Debit card transactions made in Malaysia over the past few days.
The bank will alert customers if they detect any unusual activity on their accounts.
One victim, 27-year-old Ms Chen, discovered something was amiss when she checked her bank account online on Wednesday night. "Some transactions done, five times. In total, about $3,000 (withdrawn)," she said.
Another affected customer, Ms Li, said an unauthorised withdrawal from her account was made from a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Both victims decided to make a police report.
"In the police station, I actually encountered this Malay woman. She was also making this police report on an (unauthorised) withdrawal of 1,500 ringgit. Then I realized I was not the only one," said Ms Li.
According to the victims, the transactions took place in Malaysia while their ATM cards were with them safely in Singapore.
"When I called the bank, they informed me that the transaction was made in a Malaysian ATM machine. And it was withdrawn around the same time I was withdrawing my money," said Ms Lin, another victim.
400 POSB, DBS customers affected by ATM fraud
SINGAPORE: About 400 POSB and DBS Bank customers were affected by the largest ATM fraud in Singapore.
DBS on Friday said internal investigation showed that the unauthorised withdrawals were part of a card skimming operation.
The unauthorised withdrawals were made in Malaysia, with the bulk of them occurring on Wednesday.
DBS said it has identified two ATMs in Bugis Street that were compromised during a three-day period in late November last year.
Lim Sim Seng, DBS Bank's Singapore country manager, said: "During that period, there were about 2,726 customers who used the ATM there and we have reached out to all those customers already and we have blocked the cards."
It is likely that the cards were cloned during the three-day period, but the bank said there is still no conclusive evidence that a cloning device was installed.
The bank has also subsequently checked all its ATMs islandwide, and the two affected ATMs are now back in operation.
The bank added that all its ATMs have anti-skimming devices installed.
Karen Ngui, MD of group strategic marketing and communications at DBS Bank, said: "It's not a lapse in security or anything. All our ATMs are secure, our systems are fine and the incidence of skimming and cloning is something that happens all around the world.
"And so it's unfortunate that it's happened to us. But we take it very seriously; it's a responsibility we have and hence we're immediately compensating customers right away within the 24 hours."
As an added security, DBS said it will send out SMS alerts for all ATM cash withdrawals made in Malaysia.
The bank said no new unauthorised transactions have been reported so far, and it believes the situation is now contained.
But it did not rule out the possibility that a syndicate is behind the incident.
To guard against cloning, the bank said customers should change their PIN numbers frequently.
DBS said it will make full compensation to all affected customers by Friday. It expects to pay out half a million dollars in compensation.
The three victims who shared their stories with Channel NewsAsia on Thursday said they have received their compensation.
DBS on Friday said internal investigation showed that the unauthorised withdrawals were part of a card skimming operation.
The unauthorised withdrawals were made in Malaysia, with the bulk of them occurring on Wednesday.
DBS said it has identified two ATMs in Bugis Street that were compromised during a three-day period in late November last year.
Lim Sim Seng, DBS Bank's Singapore country manager, said: "During that period, there were about 2,726 customers who used the ATM there and we have reached out to all those customers already and we have blocked the cards."
It is likely that the cards were cloned during the three-day period, but the bank said there is still no conclusive evidence that a cloning device was installed.
The bank has also subsequently checked all its ATMs islandwide, and the two affected ATMs are now back in operation.
The bank added that all its ATMs have anti-skimming devices installed.
Karen Ngui, MD of group strategic marketing and communications at DBS Bank, said: "It's not a lapse in security or anything. All our ATMs are secure, our systems are fine and the incidence of skimming and cloning is something that happens all around the world.
"And so it's unfortunate that it's happened to us. But we take it very seriously; it's a responsibility we have and hence we're immediately compensating customers right away within the 24 hours."
As an added security, DBS said it will send out SMS alerts for all ATM cash withdrawals made in Malaysia.
The bank said no new unauthorised transactions have been reported so far, and it believes the situation is now contained.
But it did not rule out the possibility that a syndicate is behind the incident.
To guard against cloning, the bank said customers should change their PIN numbers frequently.
DBS said it will make full compensation to all affected customers by Friday. It expects to pay out half a million dollars in compensation.
The three victims who shared their stories with Channel NewsAsia on Thursday said they have received their compensation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment