As 2021 draws to a close, it is sobering to think that this year every single EAST meeting has been held online. We had been hoping to start Hybrid meetings in the spring, but the pandemic got the better of us again. That being said, the input and contributions from our members has been fantastic and we have all become experts at using the technology required to make virtual meetings happen. On behalf of the EAST Board, I would once again like to thank all those who have worked so hard to provide information, time, and resources to help us to meet our targets and objectives during the year.
- Three Interim meetings for Global and National Members were held on 10th February, 9th June and 6th October
- The EAST Expert Group on All Terminal Fraud (EGAF) also held three meetings on 20th January, 12th May, and 15th September
- The EAST Expert Group on ATM and ATS Physical Attacks (EGAP) held two meetings on 3rd March and 1st September
- The EAST Payments Task Force changed its name to become the EAST Expert Group on Payment and Transaction Fraud (EPTF) and held three meetings on 14th April, 7th July and 10th November.
- Three Fraud Updates were released on 9th March, 1st July, and 2nd November.
- Seventeen Alerts were issued throughout the year (Fraud Alerts x 7, Payment Alerts X 4, Physical Attack Alerts x 3, Security Alerts x 3)
Looking forwards the decision has just been taken to make the first meeting of 2002, the 25th EAST EGAF Meeting on 19th January, a virtual meeting – this is due to the rapidly rising number of cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, and associated restrictions. It is still firmly hoped that all the other meetings in 2022 will be Hybrid, allowing physical participation for some delegates, as well as virtual participation for others.
Every best wish to all readers for a wonderful festive break and a very happy New Year.
Kind regards
Lachlan