Thursday morning, Target confirmed that hackers had stolen credit and debit card records from 40 million in-store shoppers. The data breach was active from November 27 to December 15 at nearly all Target locations nationwide. Online shoppers were not affected.
The hackers reportedly pulled magnetic swipe information from credit card machines; Target has determined that the following information was jeopardized in the breach: customer name, credit or debit card number, and the card’s expiration date and CVV.
If you shopped at a Target store during this time, you can and should call the dedicated call center to find out whether your data was accessed by hackers. The number is 866-852-8680 (representatives are available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.). Agents will also be answering questions across Target’s social media channels.
A Target spokeswoman told Mashable: “We’re asking everyone who shopped at a Target location since Black Friday to monitor their credit card accounts and contact their banking establishments to see if there is any suspicious activity. Anyone with a Target Red Card or a card from another bank should remain vigilant and keep checking their accounts for fraudulent activity… We are contacting the guests we have email addresses for and informing them about what happened. It was a very sophisticated crime and it’s an ongoing investigation, but the issue has been addressed and resolved. Shoppers can completely shop with confidence.”
For more information, here’s Target’s FAQ page about the incident.
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