When cyber crooks have your number
The latest data breach involving consumers’ credit- and debit-card numbers has hit the Hannaford Brothers supermarket chain, which operates primarily in New England, and the related Sweetbay supermarkets in Florida.
The company says cyber crooks made off with customers’ card numbers and expiration dates but not their names or addresses. It offered this advice to anyone who might be affected.
For tips from Consumer Reports on preventing such thefts in the first place and dealing with one if it happens, click here.
Posted by: Ephraim Dickstein | Mar 21, 2008 12:42:33 AM
Hannaford put a statement on their website for Canadian customers, but couldn't even be bothered enough to actually have their toll-free numbers for further information accept calls from Canada.
MasterCard can issue emergency cards, they have no magnetic stripe, cannot be used online and cannot be used at ATMs. They can only be used at the merchant and need to be totally manually keyed in. I'm leaving on a trip in a week and going to a foreign country where I don't speak the language. So, how am I supposed to mime to them to manually key in the credit card transaction?
Hannaford is responsible for the mess and yet I see hardly a real apology for the hours of work that this has created for me and the other customers who have been inconvenienced by their lack of proper security on their network. I'd complain, but I can't call from Canada in any case!