Kuwait International Bank (KIB) announced that it has successfully uncovered a number of attempted fraudulent ATM transactions which took place in the United States over the past few days, using fake cards replicated from the cards of 22 existing customers.

In a statement, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Chairman of KIB, announced that upon discovering the attempted fraud, KIB immediately took all necessary actions and coordinated its efforts with all the relevant authorities – including Visa International – in order to trace the source of the replication.

Jarrah said in his statement that owing to KIB’s advanced anti-fraud protocols and state-of-the-art IT systems, neither the Bank nor any of its customers suffered any financial loss as a result of these fraudulent transactions, which were all identified and rejected immediately.

Jarrah further noted that through diligent investigations, KIB was able to identify the single ATM where the replication equipment had been installed. Thereafter, and in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Interior, the Bank’s surveillance camera network was upgraded, which led to the perpetrators being captured on video. KIB is currently in the process of pursuing legal action against these offenders, according to the Chairman.

It serves to note that KIB has always maintained the highest levels of safety and security, and the Bank simply does not compromise when it comes to the privacy and confidentiality of its customers. KIB uses the latest anti-fraud protocols and 24/7 video surveillance systems, in order to ensure safe and secure transactions at all of its ATMs across Kuwait.

Jarrah ended by noting that KIB is currently in the process of taking legal action against all those who have sought to circulate a video pertaining to the incident, with the clear intent of harming not only the Bank’s reputation, but that of Kuwait’s economy and banking industry as well.