With the information that as many as one out of every four Americans may be impacted by the recently announced possible Home Depot data breach, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin is reminding Rhode Island consumers to monitor debit and credit card activity regularly and report suspicious charges immediately.
It is not clear yet how many consumers are affected by the latest breach or the level of information the thieves may have accessed, but it was reported on a security blog earlier this week that Home Depot stores may have been the source of a massive new batch of stolen credit and debit cards that were being sold on the black market.
Kilmartin sent a letter to Home Depot asking to confirm the data breach and provide details as to the number of Rhode Island consumers that may be impacted. In response, Home Depot has informed the Office that the company is working with its banking partners, technology vendors, security experts, and law enforcement to confirm if a breach has occurred and the potential impact on customers.
"Unfortunately data breaches are becoming the new norm as more and more information is collected and stored in cyberspace. Hackers, often based overseas and out of jurisdiction for law enforcement, are extremely sophisticated leaving virtually no trace of their infiltration of a corporate network until it's too late. It is often months before a company is made aware of a breach. The best protection for consumers is to be vigilant in monitoring accounts, reporting suspicious activity and limiting exposure to this type of theft," said Attorney General Kilmartin.
This reported data breach is the latest in a series of high profile breaches of major retail companies. In December 2013, Target announced a data breach that may have impacted more than 100 million consumers. In recent months other companies, including restaurant chain P.F. Chang's and grocer SuperValu.
Attorney General Kilmartin offered the following helpful information to consumers who may have shopped at Home Depot within the last several months:
Check your debit and credit card accounts daily online. If you discover any suspicious or unusual activity on your accounts or suspect fraud, report it immediately to your financial institutions.
If you shopped at Home Depot in the past several months, consider adding a fraud alert to your credit report file to help protect your credit information. A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, but it also may delay your ability to obtain credit. You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling just one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies listed below.
Under federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report by going to www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228.
You may contact the nationwide credit reporting agencies at:
Equifax (800) 525-6285 www.equifax.com
Experian (888) 397-3742 www.experian.com
TransUnion (800) 680-7289 www.transunion.com
About the Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Unit
The Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Unit investigates and mediates consumer complaints concerning unfair and unlawful business practices and misleading advertising arising out of alleged violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. If groups of people are victimized by a deceptive trade practice, this office may file in the Superior Court a civil investigative demand, which is a formal investigation. In appropriate cases, a lawsuit to stop the illegal business practice may be initiated.
Apart from carrying out its statutory responsibilities, the Unit also provides information and referral services to the general public. Consumers are directed to the appropriate governmental or private agencies for help in answering specialized questions or resolving disputes that are not within the Unit's jurisdiction.
The Consumer Protection Unit is available to speak to community groups on how to prevent being a victim of identity theft and other scams. For more information, please visit www.riag.ri.gov or call 401-274-4400.