OFFICE MAX SECURITY BREACH

[Anonymous]

OFFICE MAX SECURITY BREACH
Thousands
of people across the country tonight are learning that their debit
cards have been canceled by their banks…and that they’ll have to get
new ones!
The reason: Another security breach.
The San Francisco
Chronicle reports that Office Max — the store with the Rubberband Man
ads — is the subject of the latest security breach.
It says foreign hackers may have stolen the credit and debit card card numbers of 200 thousand customers.
OfficeMax wont confirm or deny the breach.
But
the newspapers investigation says banks of the affected customers have
been notified, and are canceling and reissuing debit and credit cards.
As
with other recent security breaches, all you can do if youre a customer
is watch your bank statements and credit card bills carefully.

Office Max Breach Affects Thousands
SACRAMENTO
Maybe this has happened to you. Major banks have been canceling debit
cards and issuing new ones, saying there was some sort of security
breach. Tonight we’re learning, that breach may involve customers of
‘Office Max’.
The security breach may mean thieves have the debit
card numbers and secret codes of as many as 200,000 Office Max
customers. The San Francisco Chronicle reports, someone hacked into the
office supply store’s network this past fall in Sacramento.
Bogus
charges have shown up throughout Europe and Asia. The Sacramento office
of the FBI is tight lipped, but has confirmed they are investigating.
“I have no recourse, there’s nothing I can do,” says Adam Aronson, whose debit card was canceled last week.
Aronson wants to know if he’s a victim.
“They
told me there’s been a breach of security at a merchant you used your
card at, so we canceled the card and are issuing a new one,” says
Aronson.
Aronson is an ‘Office Max’ customer, but his bank won’t
tell him if Office Max is the merchant. Fortunately his card was
canceled, before anyone took money from his account.
The office supply chain released this statement to CBS 13.
“We
have no knowledge of a breach of our security system here at Office Max
and are very concerned about customer perception. We want them to know
they should feel confident in their ability to use their debit card at
Office Max safely and securely, we take our customers concerns
seriously.”
In the wake of the investigation, the State Department
of Consumer Affairs recommends you choose wisely when you use a debit
card, versus a credit card.
“A debit card should really be used to
accessing ATM’s, that way you protect yourself. You have greater
protections with credit cards under federal law,” says Charlene Zettel
with the California Department of Consumer Affairs

[Author]

February 23, 2006 at 10:16 AM