Kingston, Jamaica — The National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCBJ) has identified a technical issue affecting Uber transactions for some Visa Debit cardholders, resulting in certain transactions not being charged to customers’ accounts. The glitch has led to unpaid balances and, in some cases, potential misuse or fraudulent activity.
In a press release on Wednesday, NCBJ disclosed that over 300 accounts have been temporarily frozen for investigation due to unusually high volumes of Uber transactions. “During our review, we detected unusual activity patterns, including instances where some customers completed an exceptionally high number of Uber transactions—some exceeding 700 rides within a single month—indicating possible misuse or exploitation of the issue,” NCBJ stated.
As part of its response, NCBJ has notified affected Visa Debit customers about the outstanding balances for Uber transactions. For accounts with sufficient funds, the bank has processed the owed amounts; for accounts with insufficient funds, liens have been placed until recovery is possible. Accounts flagged for suspicious activity will remain blocked pending further investigation.
NCBJ is working closely with Visa to address the underlying cause of the issue, which has impacted around one percent of Visa Debit cardholders, totaling over 8,000 accounts. The bank’s investigation dates back to transactions made from May 2024.
The bank emphasized its commitment to transparency and promised to keep customers informed of developments as they occur. “Our priority is to ensure all impacted accounts are accurately reconciled,” NCBJ assured.
Customers needing assistance or seeking more information can contact NCBJ’s customer care at cem@jncb.com or 888-622-3477.
Following NCBJ’s announcement, numerous customers took to social media to express frustration over unexpected deductions for Uber transactions. Many shared screenshots showing $0 balances and liens for hundreds of thousands of dollars placed on their accounts.
