Belize Electricity Limited Confirms Cyberattack, Assures No Customer Banking Info Leaked

The Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) says there was no leak of customers’ banking information in the recent cyberattack on its IT Systems. In a release, the company states that it continues to investigate the cyberattack and remains highly committed to keeping its employees and customers informed of related developments. BEL says while the company stores credit and debit card numbers and expiration dates in its database, there is no evidence that customer credit or debit card information. The company added that no such information is stored on its filing system; however, it is important to clarify that the information is stored in the database system, which is kept on separate computer servers. According to BEL, the storage of that information is required by their merchant agreement with the card processing bank. In ending, the company says that out of an abundance of caution, they have now removed all customer credit and debit card information from their databases. The company had previously stated that it would be reporting the matter to the adequate authorities but the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, says that so far, the police are yet to receive a report on the matter. 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: “I really actually don’t know if they have filed a complaint. I know I saw it in the media. But I don’t recall reading anything about it no. Well, I would want to think that they would, but they would need to ensure they get all the facts together so that when they do come to the police they’ll have all those information. I don’t know if the attack was from within Belize or from outside. Certainly, if the attack was from outside Belize then there’s going to be a need for us to collaborate with other agencies through the Mutual Legal Assistance Program to see what information can be obtained from them to further the investigation. So we’ll wait and see if they are going to come to make the report and I will follow it from there.”