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Card Security Tips

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 30, 2008

CHECK YOUR STATEMENTS

Anyone who used a credit or debit card at a Sweetbay supermarket from Dec. 7 through March 10 could be vulnerable to fraud. Cardholders should:

•Immediately examine credit card statements or bank accounts linked to debit cards. Call your financial institution or card provider with questions or to report suspicious activity.

•Refuse to disclose information to any callers. Hannaford Bros. and Sweetbay personnel are not calling cardholders.

•If you suspect fraud, call any of the three major credit-reporting agencies - TransUnion, Experian and Equifax - and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. You need to contact only one of the agencies to put a fraud alert on all your reports.

•File a police report to prove to creditors, credit bureaus and others that you're the victim of credit card information theft.

•For more tips, go to the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/cards.shtm.

MAJOR DATA BREACHES

The Identity Theft Resource Center said more than 125 million records were compromised in the United States last year. Here are some of the major breaches over the past few years:

Hannaford Bros./Sweetbay: The sibling grocers report 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen. Three class-action suits have been filed in Hillsborough County, and others have been filed in Philadelphia and Bangor, Maine, on behalf of consumers.

TJX Cos.: The parent of the T.J. Maxx chain and others reported 46 million card numbers were stolen, but banks that later sued claimed the number was at least 94 million.

Fidelity National Information Services: The check-authorizing subsidiary reported that information on 8.5 million consumers was stolen, allegedly by a former employee.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.: The online brokerage said contact information for more than 6.3 million customers was stolen in a computer hack.

DSW: The shoe retailer said information from 1.4 million credit cards was stolen in a computer hack.

HOW WE PAY

Here are the number of transactions:

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