By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A LOCAL businessman claimed that the $29,000 that vanished from one his commercial accounts due to an alleged cyber attack has been repaid via the intervention of the data protection commissioner.

Peter Bates, general manager of the Sign Man, said after “one meeting” with Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Sharmie Farrington-Austin and a subsequent call from her to CIBC First Caribbean, the money allegedly removed from his account at FCIB’s Shirley Street branch over a month ago has been refunded by cheque by bank officials.

However, claiming that he has switched banks as a result of the ordeal, Mr Bates is now warning people to be vigilant about their accounts.

“One meeting with the data protection commissioner and one phone call from her to FCIB and suddenly we were presented with 100 per cent of the money stolen from our account,” Mr Bates said on Monday. “I collected the cheque (Monday) and it is in our hands. Our account is now at another bank.”

According to Mr Bates, there were “23 unauthorized transactions worth $29,000 over two days” on his account.

Last month, Mr Bates told The Tribune that First Caribbean officials had been “elusive” in answering his questions about his missing money and the status of their investigation.

The matter was then turned over to police at Mr Bates’ request, he said.

He is now advising anyone who has lost money to fraudulent online activity to contact the data protection commissioner for help. He also advised online bankers to check their accounts daily and be responsible with their data.

Last month, First Caribbean’s Managing Director Marie Rodland-Allen released a statement on the claims. She said the safety of the bank’s customers and the integrity of the services provided “are paramount” but would not speak specifically to Mr Bates’ case.

She said the bank advises customers to bring any fraud or attempted fraud to its attention immediately at fraud@cibcfcib.com.

“The Clearing Banks Association will shortly be issuing another advisory in the newspapers to all its customers on how to thwart any phishing attempts,” the statement added.

Phishing is an online scam where criminals attempt to gain passwords, credit card details or sensitive bank information through fraudulent emails.