Heartland Payment Systems, a payment processor based in Princeton, NJ, handles about 100 million transactions a month. So you can imagine the sinking feeling their employees felt when they realized that Heartland’s computer systems were infected with malware that compromised the security of the many credit and debit cards used in those transactions. According to analysts, this could be the biggest data breach the world has yet seen.
So what data didn’t get compromised during the breach? Heartland reps assured customers that “no merchant data, cardholder Social Security numbers, unencrypted PIN numbers, addresses or telephone numbers” were involved. Unfortunately, credit and debit card numbers were likely targeted.
What can you do if you think your card details have been compromised? According to Heartland, the best thing to do is keep a close eye on your monthly statements. You can also have your cards flagged for possible fraud, and your accounts frozen. For a more permanent solution, cancel the cards that may have been breached, and replace them with new ones.
Under federal law, credit card holders are only responsible for up to $50 of unauthorized charges. Debit card holders can be liable for up to $500.
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