B of A Cancels Some Versatel Cards

Bank of America canceled more than 100 of its ATM and debit cards after learning that some may have been used fraudulently in Japan. The San Francisco-based bank said it will reissue the Versatel branded cards belonging to customers in Arizona after learning that 30 to 40 consumers may have been defrauded, said Harvey Radin, a spokesman for parent BankAmerica Corp. BankAmerica telephoned the affected customers last weekend, telling them not to use their cards and that new cards would be mailed within days. A Bank of America customer service representative in Arizona said the bank had closed 120 Versatel accounts. Radin would not verify details of how or where the cards were fraudulently used or how the bank learned about the problem, saying that to do so might jeopardize the bank’s security. Visa International spokeswoman Gail Murayama said Visa did not plan a response to the Versatel cancellation, saying Visa does not get involved with banks’ “proprietary” bank card products. Versatel also carries the Visa brand name.