LONDON (Reuters) - Staff at foreign exchange firm Travelex are using pen and paper to serve thousands of customers after the company said cyber hackers were holding its systems to ransom, leading to a global blackout on its online currency exchange services.
The currency trader, which also provides forex services for customers of HSBC (HSBA.L), Barclays (BARC.L), Virgin Money (VMUK.L) and the banking arms of British retailers Tesco (TSCO.L) and Sainsbury (SBRY.L), said on Tuesday a software virus identified on Jan. 2 was a ransomware attack.
The spread of the ransomware, which Travelex said it had successfully contained, forced the company to take all its systems offline, causing chaos for New Year holidaymakers and business travellers seeking online currency services.
The company, which has a presence in more than 70 countries, is currently only able to serve customers face-to-face at its 1,200 on-airport and off-airport locations worldwide.
A criminal investigation led by London’s Metropolitan Police is now also underway.
The Financial Conduct Authority, Britain’s markets regulator, said it was also in contact with the firm to ensure affected customers were being treated fairly. The National Cyber Security Centre said it was providing technical support.
Scores of people turned to Twitter to vent their frustration at being left without cash they had ordered for their travels.
Travelex’s parent company Finablr Plc (FINF.L) ..
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