Shop at Target Lately?

[BlueShoe]

If so, you may have a problem. As many as 40 million customers may be at risk from a major security breach. Any person that used a credit or debit card in Target in the three weeks after Thanksgiving may have had their personal data compromised.
http://moneycnn.com/2013/12/18/news/companies/target-credit-card/

[Tom]

So they have been targeted, huh?

[DJofSD]

So they have been targeted, huh?
Spot on, Tom.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Pretty sure this is the same dump I stopped going to because they wanted to interrogate me for phone numbers and zip codes and all kinds of nonsense for a simple cash purchase.

[Tom]

I told them I was you and gave them DJ's phone number!

[BlueShoe]

Sometimes being old fashioned pays off. Have never made a debit card purchase in my entire life, only use a credit card for major big ticket items, and pay cash for everything else. That 25 pound box of cat litter that I got in Target a couple of weeks ago is not going to come back and haunt me unless that $20 bill I used was bugged.

[DJofSD]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-19/u-s-secret-service-investigating-card-security-breach-at-target.html

The last time I had any exposure to a problem like this was B&N.

I was at a store on Monday and they're still using the stop-gap solution which is the signature on the piece of paper.

[DJofSD]

I told them I was you and gave them DJ's phone number!
That explains all of the heavy breathing hang ups I'm getting!

[lamboguy]

i just read something about a group of restaurants had their system hacked and credit and debit card information was stolen and used. this is happening a lot lately. out of full disclosure, i am a hypocrite myself i carry about 25 credit cards, i never had a debit card. but i was thinking about the days when there were no banks in the middle of every transaction that one made. and the days when people weren't destroyed by the temptation to spend what you can't afford. banks serve no purpose in this world other than to relieve you from your money.

[Grits]

Pretty sure this is the same dump I stopped going to because they wanted to interrogate me for phone numbers and zip codes and all kinds of nonsense for a simple cash purchase.

In stores, when paying with cash, if they've insisted on phone # or zip code? "I'm sorry, I don't want these items. By law I don't have to give you either my phone # or my zip code. I'll shop with another retailer." Leaving the items with the dumbfounded clerk, I walk away. Have done so at a hotel as well.

Credit cards, not a problem. Writing checks, not a problem. Banking online, no. Making payments by cellphone, no. Debit card, never.

"Debit cards are the most problematic, create most risk. Quick and convenient isn't always the most secure path". -- my bank's quote.

Soon, (or in the works) credit cards will have chips (as in Europe). Hopefully, much better for U.S. consumers.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1221-credit-card-technology-20131221,0,7876975.story#axzz2omfmxjdj

[DJofSD]

EVM is long over due in the US.

They'll start to appear next year, I believe.

There will still be opportunities for thieves if security is not taken more seriously by companies.

[spicytomato]

I had used the target card there
but will be tearing that up

my card there was a low balance one

my real card is from my bank
they call you if they see any odd purchase or action
love my bank

i had purchased dog food at target
no more need the card
my dogs are now on home cooked food
they have grown sensitive to commercial dog food
and its cheaper to make them food anyway

so the target card meets the scissor at high noon :D

[Rookies]

I don't shop at Tar-jay because ours are ersatz imitations of the real ones... In America. They are substandard, with crap merchandise and priced higher for the same items. Big failure here.

And...

In stores, when paying with cash, if they've insisted on phone # or zip code? "I'm sorry, I don't want these items. By law I don't have to give you either my phone # or my zip code. I'll shop with another retailer." Leaving the items with the dumbfounded clerk, I walk away. Have done so at a hotel as well.

Never give out a phone number, as Grits has stated. If I'm on my high horse, I tell them it's not legal; if I want to end it quickly, I tell them it's unlisted... which it is in a way. Had someone demand it at a Jazz Festival in September and stared them down. Acted like I was Dillinger! :confused:

BTW, I have not seen the updated Credit Card machines in America that we largely have here in Canada- Chip insertion and PIN required. More advanced way to go.

[Tom]

Tell them it is 1-800-xxxx-YOU.

[DJofSD]

Tell them it is 1-800-xxxx-YOU.
Wasn't there a government agency that was discovered to have that as their number? It was posted here in OT some time during this year.

[sammy the sage]

Word of Advice...if you shopped at Target recently...should get a new credit card...ASAP...same thing happened at Sweet Bay a few years back to me...had used 2 different cards...I didn't worry...and card companies canceled w/out notice several weeks later...whilst I was out of gas at gas pump of all places...spent hours trying to straighten out...I was the one treated like a criminal....never got a legit answer...finally got replacement cards...after 4 weeks....long story short...call and get new cards w/NEW #'s...be pro-active...they'll cancel all 40 million #'s...sooner or later...beat the rush...and you'll get them much faster if you do it now...and save yourself some anger...just my 2 cents worth...1943 copper that is!

[DJofSD]

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/target-says-stolen-info-data-breach-hit-70-million-people-2D11894083

The number doubles to 70 million.