Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Nearly a dozen id thieves from across the globe are behind bars tonight, accused of hacking into ten major retailer’s credit card systems and stealing millions of customer account numbers.
Customers at all of these stores had their personal information stolen; a few of the big ones include TJ Maxx, DSW, Barnes and Noble and BJ’s Wholesale Club -- a nationwide breach we first broke through a Your Stories investigation on NewsChannel 9.
The Justice Department is calling this the largest computer hacking case ever prosecuted. And while they've caught up with this international ring, there are still plenty of scammers out there looking to do the same thing.
Wednesday, we're learning of yet another breach, this time at S&K Menswear. Here's The Real Deal.
Steve Hurn bought some suits online from S&K Menswear about a year ago. He was happy with them, until he got a letter from the FBI.
“They said that there had been thousands of people who did business with S&K and that all their information had been compromised,” says Hurn.
He checked his statements, and noticed an unauthorized $250 charge for flowers sent to someone in the Midwest. He assumes whoever stole his credit card number, made the purchase. He called his bank right away, and soon after he had a new credit card and a new account number.
S&K says this breach affects more than 6,000 of their online customers. A scammer accessed their database and stole credit card information.
S&K says they sent an e-mail to affected customers, but Hurn says he never received one. The FBI won't tell us whether they have a suspect, but they will say this is a very active investigation.
If you've been notified that your information may be in the hands of id thieves, pay close attention to your credit and debit card statements to look for any unauthorized charges.
If you find anything suspicious, alert your bank right away and cancel the card. You may also want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report with the major reporting agencies.
To read the notification letter sent by S&K about the breach, click on the document above the story.
