APS blocks some customer cards after potential ‘external’ security breach
The bank was alerted to the issue by VISA
Several APS customers had their cards blocked in recent days, after a “potential compromise” affecting some of the bank’s cards was detected.
In recent days, a number of APS customers reported receiving messages and emails from the bank informing them that their cards had been blocked for security purposes.
Posts on Facebook show customers describing how they received emails and text messages from the bank telling them that they would be issued a new card over the coming days.
When contacted, a spokesperson for APS confirmed that some customers’ cards had been blocked but said the issue was not directly linked to the bank itself.
“Earlier this week, we were alerted by VISA to a potential compromise at a merchant's acquirer, which may have affected a number of payment cards issued by a number of banks, including some issued by APS Bank,” the spokesperson said.
“The alert originated externally and was not linked to any issue within our Bank’s own systems.”
Once the bank was informed of the issue, it “acted immediately by temporarily blocking the cards identified as potentially at risk”. This is in line with the bank’s standard security practices, the spokesperson explained.
“Replacement cards are already being issued free of charge and will be delivered shortly,” the spokesperson added.
“This action was limited strictly to the cards identified through the VISA alert. Customers who were not contacted by the Bank are not impacted by this issue,” the bank said.
The spokesperson declined to say how many customers were impacted by the issue, citing commercial sensitivity.
The issue comes at the tail-end of a successful period for the bank, which reported a whopping 208% increase in its profits during the first quarter of the year.
In May, the bank said its pre-tax profits for the first three months of 2026 rose to €11.1 million, up from €3.6 million during the same period last year.