Credit card registration now required to pay JPS bills online

Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), the island's sole distributor of electricity, now requires customers to register their credit cards in order to pay their bills on its online platform as a result of increased fraudulent activities on its website.

In an advisory to customers, JPS said it is improving the security on its 'myJPS' payment faci-lity to protect them and registration was part of that process.

It said the increased use of fraudulent credit cards on the JPS website has negatively impacted its banking partners, which have asked that the company implement credit card registration on the website.

"This is a one-time activity: a credit card will need to be registered only once per myJPS account," the company informed customers.

FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY

Corporate communications manager at the JPS, Winsome Callum told Sunday Business that the fraudulent activity detected was the only issue that prompted the change in the approach to bill payments.

In the advisory to customers, the light and power supplier said that they "regret any inconvenience that this new requirement may cause, and assure you that JPS will continue to make every effort to ensure that our myJPS payment facility remains one of the most convenient ways to pay your bill."

In the advisory, also posted on its website, JPS said the change became effective on March 14, 2015.

FRAUD-TO-SALES RATIO

"This is due to the fact that over the past few months, NCB [National Commercial Bank] has seen an increase in the use of fraudulent credit cards on the JPS website," the advisory said.

"This has impacted the bank's overall fraud to sales ratio, and, as a result, they have come under pressure from their credit card partners, Visa and MasterCard," it added. "NCB has therefore requested that JPS implement credit card registration on our website."

The company said "everybody benefits, as credit card registration will improve the overall security of myJPS."

Customers can register for myJPS to access online billing, view monthly billing history and make payments. JPS said they can pay using any valid Visa, MasterCard or Keycard.

They can also register to view and download bills for up to the last 12 months and better monitor their energy consumption and payment history, JPS said, adding that myJPS also allows users to link multiple JPS accounts to a single user account.

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