The BVI Electricity Corporation urged customers last Thursday to check their credit card accounts after a cyberattack that was first announced on Aug. 19, but the utility has not said whether the incident caused a data breach.
“As a precautionary measure, despite that our processes substantially reduces [sic] the chances of credit card data being exposed, which we have yet to identify as a concern, we are urging all credit card customers to check your credit card statement for any fraudulent transactions and report them to the credit card issuer,” the utility stated.
The company told clients to take swift action if anything suspicious is feared.
“If any fraudulent activity is suspected, request a credit card replacement immediately. In the interim, please be patient with us as we endeavour to serve you better,” the corporation stated, adding that it has been working to get its “full suite” of services back in place as soon as possible.
The BVIEC, however, did not respond to the Beacon’s request for more information.
Announcement
The BVIEC first announced the cyberattack on Aug. 19 as it was still struggling to address electricity outages caused by the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto five days earlier.
As a result of the situation, the company’s online billing was disrupted and some bills have had to be calculated manually based on past averages.
Shortly after the initial announcement, the company told JTV the matter was being treated as a national security situation.
The incident comes amid a rising tide of such cybercrimes across the Caribbean.
Cyberattacks up
Ransomware attacks in the region have soared by some 35 percent since 2023, while phishing attempts have increased by 25 percent and data breaches are up by 30 percent, a Digicel BVI representative told the Beacon recently.
