By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

ROYAL Bank of Canada (RBC) executives said yesterday they could not comment on the total dollar exposure or number of Bahamian customers affected by the recent "skimming" fraud, telling Tribune Business however the bank is "co-operating fully" with the authorities and looks forward to seeing the perpetrators "brought to justice".

Jacqueline Taggart, pictured, RBC's director of strategic and corporate communications for the Caribbean, confirmed to Tribune Business earlier this week that some of the bank's Bahamian Visa debit and Visa credit card holders had fallen victim to "skimming", as some irate customers reported "thousands of dollars" having been wiped off their accounts. The bank described the issue as "a coordinated and aggressive criminal effort".

While some online reports suggested close to $800,000 had been stolen from Bahamian customers of the bank, Taggart told Tribune Business any figure at this point would be purely 'speculative'.

"Unfortunately, RBC cannot comment on the specifics of the total dollar exposure or number of clients involved in this fraud as it is part of an open investigation. We can confirm RBC is cooperating fully with the authorities and looks forward to seeing the perpetrators brought to justice," said Taggart.

"Statements alleging to provide specifics from other parties, no matter how legitimate they may appear, should be considered speculative as RBC does not share specific information about its clients publicly and will not compromise this important investigation by providing these details."