There has been another major breach in retail credit cards. Spokespeople say approximately 5 million of their credit holders may have had their personal information compromised if they shopped at any of the Saks stores and/or Lord & Taylor.
The company Hudson’s Bay owns the retailers. The data intrusion was discovered over the Easter holiday weekend or March 31 and April 1.
President Eva Velasquez of the Identity Theft Resource Center commented that the leak went undetected for a significant length of time. She added that she feels that hackers are becoming more skilled at going unnoticed when they breach data. Velasquez called the breach and the length of detection, “troubling.”
The credit attack occurred on card payments that were conducted at the retailers. The e-commerce and digital platforms were not known to be compromised.
When your information is stolen it becomes sold on the web. Hackers can then buy your Social Security Number and card information.
Industry analyst Matt Shulz of CreditCards.com has called this breach as “significant.”
“People need to understand that when your information is out there, it’s out there forever,” Shulz added.
When hackers breach data they sell it on what is called the dark web. They sell your personal information to the highest bidder who then has access to your personal and credit information. They can also then steal your identity.
What You Should Do
1) Get a new debit card with new numbers. That is the first thing a credit patron should always do if they think their information has been stolen. Many debit users have an account set up for shopping. Money is only transferred into this account before shopping excursions. Then if your debit card numbers are stolen, they will have a hard time getting to your major money accounts.
2) Look for fraudulent charges on your bank accounts. Many times, when your card number is purchased, a thief will try to charge $1 or $2 to your account. Check for those types of transactions. If you see any irregular charges like this contact your bank immediately.
3) You can call Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th and Lord & Taylor at 855.270.9187. You can also check their websites and you should monitor your credit if you are one of their cardholders or if you recently made an in-store payment.
4) Get a credit freeze or a fraud alert. Contact Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. “Putting a freeze on your credit report is the ultimate step you could take to lock down as much personal information as possible,” Brian McClary who is a spokesperson for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling said.
Most places charge $10 for a total freeze. You will then have to unfreeze your account when you want to open a new credit account.
Many are calling this a major breach in credit information. If you shop or have a card from one of these retailers you should contact them.
