Here are other steps you can take if you were affected by the Target data breach.
- Immediately contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Identity Theft Unit if you are a victim of identity theft or if there’s unauthorized use of your debit or credit cards. They can be reached at 800-282-0515.
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) or law enforcement to report incidents of identity theft or to learn about steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft. To learn more, you can go to the FTC’s Web site, at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or call the FTC, at (877) IDTHEFT (438-4338) or write to Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.
- If you discover information on your credit report arising from a fraudulent transaction, you should request that the credit reporting agency delete that information from your credit report file. In addition, under federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report by going to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228. You may contact the nationwide credit reporting agencies at:
Equifax (800) 525-6285 P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 www.equifax.com
Experian (888) 397-3742 P.O. Box 9532 Allen, TX 75013 www.experian.com
TransUnion (800) 680-7289 Fraud Victim Assistance Division P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 www.transunion.com.
By the numbers:
Number of credit and debit cards affected by the Target data breach: 40 million
Time period of breach: Nov. 27 to Dec. 15
Number of Target stores: 1,797 U.S. stores and 124 in Canada
Who to call: Your credit card company and Target at 866-852-8680
Video: Consumer expert Clark Howard offers advice for people who may have been affected by the Target data breach. Watch the video at MyDaytonDailyNews.com/business.
By the numbers:
Number of credit and debit cards affected by the Target data breach: 40 million
Time period of breach: Nov. 27 to Dec. 15
Number of Target stores: 1,797 U.S. stores and 124 in Canada
Who to call: Your credit card company and Target at 866-852-8680
Video: Consumer expert Clark Howard offers advice for people who may have been affected by the Target data breach. Watch the video at MyDaytonDailyNews.com/business.
Target says about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may be affected by a data breach that occurred just as the holiday shopping season shifted into high gear.
The chain said customers who made purchases by swiping their cards at terminals in its U.S. stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 may have had their accounts exposed. The stolen data includes customer names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates and the three-digit security codes located on the backs of cards.
The data breach did not affect online purchases, the company said.
The stolen information included Target store brand cards and major card brands such as Visa and MasterCard.
Thayer-Ann Matthews of Fairborn said she typically shops at Target two to four times a month and shopped at Target during the time of the data breach. Her purchases were made with both her Target card and her debit card. So far, her bank account seems to be where it should be, she said. But, she hasn’t had time to check her Target card account yet.
Matthews said she is worried but will continue to shop at the store.
“I am worried but Target is my favorite store and if people really want my info they will do whatever it takes to get what they need,” she said. “I hope it gets resolved without being hacked, but yes I will still shop there.”
The Minneapolis company said it immediately told authorities and financial institutions once it became aware of the breach and that it is teaming with a third-party forensics firm to investigate and prevent future breaches. The company said it is putting all “appropriate resources” toward the issue.
Tracy Fors, vice president of marketing and business development for Wright-Patt Credit Union, said the credit union has a monitoring service that’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We have enhanced monitoring going on for our members,” she said. “Unfortunately, this is a common thing these days.”
The credit union has more than 260,000 members and Fors said the number one thing that people can do to protect themselves is to monitor account activity on a regular basis. “They really need to see what’s going on. If they see something that’s not right, they need to alert us. It’s a team effort.
“We take this very seriously on behalf of our members. It’s a big compromise. It’s a significant breach.”
Target Corp. advised customers to check their statements carefully. Those who see suspicious charges on the cards should report it to their credit card companies and call Target at 866-852-8680. Cases of identity theft can also be reported to law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.
“Security breaches are a cause for concern, but it’s important not to panic,” Attorney General Mike DeWine said. “Just because your information has been compromised does not necessarily mean you will become the victim of identity theft.”
Clark Howard, whose daily consumer advice show airs on AM 1290/95.7FM News Talk WHIO and who writes a weekly consumer advice column that runs weekly in this newspaper, has these suggestions for those who think they might be affected:
- If you used a debit card, change the personal identification number (PIN) associated with that account.
- Watch credit card and checking account statements and information closely for fraudulent charges and withdrawals made with the debit card information and dispute those charges.
Howard said credit card fraud is easier to dispute than debit card fraud. Debit card charges cause immediate withdrawals while phony credit card charges can be remedied without money leaving your hands.
“Your rights under federal law are pathetic when it comes to debit cards, and you have to fight with your own bank or credit union to get the money restored to your account,” he said.
Target hasn’t disclosed exactly how the data breach occurred, but said it has fixed the problem and credit card holders can continue shopping at its stores.
“The fact this breach can happen with all of their security in place is really alarming,” said Avivah Litan, a security analyst with Gartner Research.
Litan noted that companies like Target spend millions of dollars each year on credit card security measures. Given the company’s heavy security, Litan said she believes the theft may have been an inside job.
Target’s breach comes at the height of the holiday shopping season and threatens to scare away shoppers worried about the safety of their personal data. The November and December period accounts for 20 percent, on average, of total retail industry sales.
The incident is particularly troublesome for Target because it has used its branded credit and debit cards as a marketing tool to lure shoppers with a 5 percent discount.
The company said during its earnings call in November that as of October some 20 percent of store customers have the Target branded cards. This holiday season, Target added other incentives to use its cards.
As a result of these incentives, households that activate a Target-branded card have increased their spending at the store by about 50 percent on average, the company said.
Target is just the latest retailer to be hit with a data breach. TJX Cos., which runs stores such as T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s, had a breach that began in July 2005 that exposed at least 45.7 million credit and debit cards to possible fraud. The breach wasn’t detected until December 2006. In June 2009 TJX agreed to pay $9.75 million in a settlement with multiple states related to the massive data theft but stressed at the time that it firmly believed it did not violate any consumer protection or data security laws.
An even larger hack hit Sony in 2011. It had to rebuild trust among PlayStation Network gamers after hackers compromised personal information including credit card data on more than 100 million user accounts.
Litan said she doubts the breach will have much of an effect on Target’s sales, noting that TJX launched sales promotions immediately following the news of its breach. The promotions increased sales.
“People care more about discounts than security,” Litan said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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