Finance
TCI Government hit by Hackers, now what?
Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
Turks and Caicos, December 24, 2024 – What we know is that the TCI Government has been hacked by an unnamed attacker and it has caused significant disruptions at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services and there could be more impacted by this breach.
“Relevant Ministries and Departments will advise the public of their alternative procedures to access government services while the TCIG assesses and repairs its system, to prevent any loss or further disruption,” said the government statement issued on Thursday December 19.
The cybersecurity crime hit TCIG on Wednesday December 18, according to the government release on the situation.
But that is all the public has been told. Almost one week later it remains a mystery who or what is behind this unprecedented assault on the central nervous system of Government operations.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) wishes to advise that due to a possible breach to the TCIG revenue collection and payment systems, some business operations have been impacted.”
Critical management protocols are now in play following the stagnating security breach. The British government and the TCI National Security Council are reportedly activated, but with no update, the general public is left to guess the scope of the hack.
The UK is helping.
“DETI has engaged TCIG’s enterprise providers to investigate and undertake an assessment of the systems to determine the extent of the potential compromise. Additionally, TCIG is working with the United Kingdom Government who are providing expert technical support.”
DETI is the Department of Digitization & E-Government Technology, a branch of the very ministry which has been targeted by the cyber criminals. 
On Monday, the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services said, “is implementing contingency plans to minimize disruptions to public services following a network outage.”
Despite the network compromise, the Customer Service Department is accepting applications; “However, payment receipts are currently being issued manually.”
It’s not the same situation at the Employment Services Department’s Customs Services unit; open but “currently not accepting payments.”
The statement went on to advise, “The Department’s Corporate Unit continues to accept applications, although receipt generation is temporarily unavailable.
Payments will be processed for applications with existing receipt.
In urgent cases requiring a temporary work permit (e.g., essential personnel, critical projects), applications will be accepted, and a manual receipt voucher will be issued.”
There was instruction from the Border Force.
“All import declarations will be processed as pre-entries using the relevant pre-entry form. Pre-entry forms are available at the Border Force website at https://borderforce.gov.tc/forms. Brokers must submit three hard copies of the pre-entry form along with the Bill of Lading/Airway Bill, Worksheet, and invoices.
Manifests are currently processed manually. Two hard copies of the Bill of Lading must be submitted to Border Force.
Vehicle Examinations are presently conducted using paper forms until the e-Vehicle portal is restored.
Duties and fee payments are accepted via credit/debit cards and cheques, with cheques currently preferred due to connectivity issues.”
This massive ministry is obviously hard hit by the breach. Adding that residents in dire need of any service to make requests known to drobinson@gov.tc via email or via letter hand-delivered to the Border Force Services Office on Airport Road, Providenciales.
Still the response could be slow going, as requests will be processed manually.
“To facilitate cargo clearance, the Entry Processing Unit in Providenciales will extend its operating hours to 3:00 p.m. Border Force will also offer extended hours at transit sheds, although specific timings may vary. The public is advised to contact individual transit sheds directly to confirm their operating hours.”
Questions related to an update and explanation on this cyber attack on the Turks and Caicos Islands have gone out to both the Governor’s Office and the Office of the Premier, however they went unanswered on this Christmas Eve.
Nassau, Bahamas, January 15, 2025 – CIBC Caribbean has warned about an ongoing ‘smishing scam’ targeting clients in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.
It noted that fraudsters have been sending text messages to persons stating that their accounts were placed on hold or that their cards were locked and requesting them to click on a link and to enter their banking credentials in order to regain access to their accounts.
The bank has reiterated that it does not send out texts or SMS messages with links for clients to click on.
Clients who receive any communication with links should check that they are from a bona fide source prior to attempting to click on them.
The latest fraud attempt is a smishing scam and we are taking the necessary steps to report the fraudulent sites, the bank said.
Smishing occurs when fraudsters attempt to steal customers’ data or money through a text message that tries to trick them into following a link and revealing personal details or login information.
If you believe that you have encountered a suspicious message, just follow these simple tips.
Firstly, don’t click on any links or attachments and don’t reply to the message. Try and establish the legitimacy of the message by getting in contact with the organisation through alternative means, for example, calling the phone number on your printed statements.
If the sender claims to represent CIBC Caribbean, then forward the email as an attachment to our dedicated fraud team (fraud@cibcfcib.com) and delete the message from your system.
It is also a good idea to regularly review all your financial accounts and if you spot any irregularities, contact the bank immediately. Additionally, email security should be reviewed and consider changing your password to a stronger one, using a combination of characters, letters and numbers. Never share your internet banking log-in credentials or One-Time Verification Codes (OTVC) with anyone!
Finance
SENIOR CITIZENS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (FAP) – FOURTH BATCH PAYMENTS READY FOR COLLECTION
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday, 10 January 2025: The Financial Assistance Programme 2024 is making its fourth (4th) batch of payments for new applicants. These are applicants approved for payment prior to 15 December 2024.
Cheques are ready for collection at the Government Treasuries and Subtreasuries. For persons who applied for the FAP and have met the FAP eligibility criteria, your application, if approved for payment, will have a cheque that is ready for collection.
Pensioners are advised that the only method of payment for this round of payments is by cheque. Efforts are being made to ensure that future monthly pension top-ups can be paid according to the preferred method of payment indicated in your applications.
The list of pensioners with cheques ready for collection in the fourth batch is given below.
Pensioners must present a Government-issued photo identification to collect payments.
If you are a pensioner who is unable to collect the FAP cheque in person, the authorised person collecting the cheque must present a letter duly signed by the pensioner and notarised, giving him/her the authority to do so on the pensioner’s behalf.
Applicants deemed duplicates have been substantively cleared and will be released for payment by 17 January 2025.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAP PORTAL REMAINS OPEN FOR NEW APPLICATIONS. PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS BY THE 15TH OF EACH MONTH TO FACILITATE THE TIMELY PROCESSING OF PENSIONS BY THE END OF THE RESPECTIVE MONTH.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, Monday, 6th January 2025 – The Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade is pleased to announce the resumption of the Cost-of-Living Relief Programme payment collection on Wednesday, 8th January 2025 which had been temporarily disrupted due to a recent cyber incident.
We understand the importance of these payments and we are committed to ensuring that all eligible recipients receive the assistance they require.
The Ministry is currently in the process of distributing the final batches of payments: Batch 4 and Batch 5. Batch lists can be viewed by visiting www.gov.tc.
Approved applicants can collect their cheques at the Treasury on Providenciales, the Treasury on Grand Turk, or the sub-treasury on South Caicos and North Caicos. Collection times are Monday to Thursday from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and Friday from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Please
remember to bring your reference number along with a valid form of identification for collection.
Please be advised that cheques are for in-person collection only. There will be no deposits to any bank accounts for the Cost-of-Living Relief Programme.
For relief recipients who are disabled or confined to their home (in Turks & Caicos Islands), the Treasury will provide a cheque delivery service. To utilize this facility, approved applicants or his or her representative are asked to make a written request, for the delivery of the cheque to colreliefsupport@gov.tc.
The request must include the following:
- a copy of the approved applicant Government Issued ID
- application number
- phone number and
- address for the cheque to be delivered
Cheques will be valid for six (6) months from the printed date. All uncollected cheques will be voided and cancelled. Lost or stale dated cheques will not be reissued.
We genuinely appreciate your patience and understanding throughout this challenging period. Your support has been invaluable, and we remain committed to keeping you informed as we progress.
For any assistance or inquiries related to the Cost-of-Living Relief payments, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team at colreliefsupport@gov.tc. We are here to help and provide the information you need.
Thank you for your continued trust in us as we work together to support our community.
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