[Dataloss] Breach Exposes Ross-Simons Credit Card Information

[security curmudgeon]

Courtesy of ISN:


http://www.turnto10.com/consumerunit/8649210/detail.html

Breach Exposes Ross-Simons Credit Card Information
April 12, 2006

Rhode Island retailer Ross-Simons said the personal information of 
thousands of credit card applicants may have been compromised.

NBC 10 Consumer Reporter Audrey Laganas reported that about 32,000 
accounts were potentially at risk. All of the accounts belong to customers 
who applied for a Ross-Simons credit card between October 2004 and April 4 
of this year.

Ross-Simons said a data breach resulted in the unauthorized access of 
credit card application data, including Social Security numbers, credit 
card numbers, expiration dates and other personal information.

Ross-Simons said it is notifying all affected customers and will help them 
minimize any risk created by the breach. The company is offering 12 months 
of free credit bureau monitoring for affected customers, NBC 10 reported.

The retailer said it verified the breach on April 4 and reported it to the 
FBI.

"The cause of the external system breach has been identified and 
corrected. Private label customer application information is no longer 
being stored by Ross-Simons," a news release said.

Ross-Simons did not disclose specifics of how the breach happened or how 
it was discovered. The company said it has hired an independent third 
party to conduct an immediate external audit of its security procedures.

Ross-Simons customers can call (888) 838-0815 for additional information. 
A list of frequently asked questions is posted on the Ross-Simons Web 
site.