Citizens Bank to implement additional security measures as scammers target Visa cards

In light of several Citizens Bank users being targeted by scammers—which subsequently led to being unable to use their Visa Debit Cards at ATMs, the banking institution during a recent statement, revealed that it will be moving to implement additional security measures to ensure customer safety.
While the bank’s systems have not been compromised, Visa Cards can sometimes become targets of international external attacks – currently Citizens Bank cards are being heavily targeted.
“Our monitoring systems have been recognising many of these attack attempts and have automatically blocked cards when we detect failed attempts to conduct unauthorised transactions…Our monitoring systems have also been recognising unusual transactions from suspicious vendors, and cards have been blocked to prevent further unauthorised transactions,” the banking institution disclosed.
However, due to the scale of the attempts, the bank’s protective steps have resulted in many customers suddenly finding that they cannot use their cards, even to do an ATM withdrawal because the systems have protected the card, even though the bank has not yet been able to advise customers of the block.
The banking institution highlighted that this is not affecting all cards, but a significant number of cases have occurred.
As such, Citizens Bank has been working closely with Visa to implement additional security measures aimed at reducing these incidents and better protecting customer cards. They have also been working assiduously to provide safety replacement cards for customers who have been affected by these attacks.
Meanwhile, while these measures are being worked on, the Bank advised customers to take the following proactive steps:
1. Ensure that you pay attention to your Citizens Alerts: All customers should be signed up to receive real-time notifications for every transaction on your account.
2. Use Online Banking to Monitor Your Account and block your card instantly if you notice anything that you did not initiate.
Additionally, If you notice any unauthorised transactions: Immediately block your card via Online Banking or by contacting our Customer Service team using the email addresses [email protected] or [email protected]
Visit your nearest branch to report the incident and complete the required forms. A team will investigate swiftly and assist you with resolution, including card replacement and refunds where applicable.