OMEN
03-17-2008, 09:53 PM
A large data breach at an as yet unidentified retailer may be forcing banks around the country to block and reissue hundreds of thousands of credit and debit cards.
In one of the first official confirmations of something that has been rumored for the past few days, the Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) today issued a statement warning consumers about a large retail data security breach.
The MBA said that between 60 and 70 of its member banks have been contacted about the breach by MasterCard and Visa. The group added that although the credit card companies didn't disclose the name of the involved merchant, they described it as a "major retailer."
In its statement, the MBA estimated "that hundreds of thousands of credit and debit cards owned by consumers in Massachusetts and northern New England states could be affected. The banks were told that the data breach occurred between Dec. 7 and March 10, the MBA said, while urging consumers in New England to monitor their payment card accounts.
Compworld
In one of the first official confirmations of something that has been rumored for the past few days, the Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) today issued a statement warning consumers about a large retail data security breach.
The MBA said that between 60 and 70 of its member banks have been contacted about the breach by MasterCard and Visa. The group added that although the credit card companies didn't disclose the name of the involved merchant, they described it as a "major retailer."
In its statement, the MBA estimated "that hundreds of thousands of credit and debit cards owned by consumers in Massachusetts and northern New England states could be affected. The banks were told that the data breach occurred between Dec. 7 and March 10, the MBA said, while urging consumers in New England to monitor their payment card accounts.
Compworld