UPDATE! Police are advising credit card holders to watch their accounts very closely over the next few weeks.They are concerned about a raise in identity theft after the parent company of T.J. Max and Marshall's reported a security breach.
TJX Stores Inc. Reports that sometime in December 2006 hackers broke into their computer and were able to access information about all credit cards, debit cards and check used at their stores. This could impact a huge 4 million card holder in the country.
To make sure you're not a victim, watch your credit account very closely. You may also want to put a Fraud Alert on your account. For 90 days, any changes to your account or your credit would have to be approved directly by you.
Update:
Visa USA is providing help to the banks of all affected customers. The Bank of America and American Express are also watching accounts that may be used for fraudulent transactions.
TJX has established a helpline for all customers who have questions or concerns about the incident: 866-484-6978 in the United States 866-903-1408 in Canada 0800-77-90-15 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Letter From TJX’s Chairman And Acting Ceo on this subject:
LETTER FROM TJX’S CHAIRMAN AND ACTING CEO
To Our Valued Customers:
As the founder of our Company, I can tell you that customer satisfaction has been central to our Company’s success since day one. Therefore, I can tell you that we were extremely disappointed when we determined that we have suffered an unauthorized intrusion into our computer systems that process and store information related to customer transactions.
We have promptly alerted law enforcement authorities and an investigation is underway. We have also engaged two of the very best computer security experts to help us strengthen the security of our systems in order to prevent this from happening again and we believe customers should feel safe shopping in our stores.
While there is much we still have yet to understand about this issue, I can assure you that we are taking steps to safeguard confidential information and working closely with law enforcement in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. so that those responsible for this act will be brought to justice.
To learn more about steps you can take to protect your credit and debit card information, we encourage you to access the information we have provided you on this website or to contact our special customer helplines and we have provided those details below.
We deeply regret any difficulties this may cause you. You have our pledge that our priority is you – our customers. Providing great value on great brands has always been at the heart of our business and will remain so. We thank you for your patronage.
Sincerely,
Ben Cammarata Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer
