TJX says hackers stole data from 45 million cards
Last Updated: Friday, March 30, 2007 | 10:18 AM ET
CBC News
The U.S. parent of the Winners and HomeSense stores revealed data from at least 45.7 million credit and debit cards was stolen by hackers who gained access to customer information.
TJX Cos. first disclosed the theft more than two months ago, but did not put a number on how much card data was compromised until the company made a regulatory filing Wednesday.
The retailer is the parent company of nearly 2,500 stores in Canada, the U.S. and Britain, including 184 Winners and 68 HomeSense stores in Canada.
Information from 45.7 million cards was stolen from transactions beginning in January 2003 and ending Nov. 23 of that year, TJX said in the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
TJX said about three-quarters of the cards had either expired by the time of the theft or had data from their magnetic strips masked. The company said it started storing security code data in computers as asterisks rather than numbers starting in September 2003.
It gave no estimates of information stolen for transactions occurring from Nov. 24, 2003, to June 28, 2004.
Another 455,000 customers who returned merchandise without receipts also had their data stolen, including driver's licence numbers, according to the filing.
Data deleted
TJX deleted much of the transaction data in the normal course of business between the time of the breach and its detection, making it impossible to know how many cards were affected.
"There is a lot of information we don't know, and may never be able to know, which is why this investigation has been so laborious," TJX spokesperson Sherry Lang told the Boston Globe.
The only arrests tied to the case involve a gift card scam in which people are suspected of buying data from the TJX hackers to purchase Wal-Mart gift cards in northern Florida.
The TJX case is believed to be the largest breach of consumer information.
Winners and HomeSense president Michael MacMillan said in February the hackers who stole information from TJX did not access information from Canadian debit cards.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
Latest Business Headlines
- Bankia asks Spain for €19B
- The board of directors of Spain's troubled bank, Bankia, has asked the Spanish government for €19 billion ($24.5 billion Cdn) in financial support. more »
- EI reforms aim to boost employment, Flaherty says
- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty defended his government's proposals to change employment insurance, saying the aim is to remove "disincentives to employment." more »
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Ottawa moves to limit foreign investment reviews
- The federal government is raising to $1 billion the amount of foreign money that can go into a Canadian company before the investment is reviewed. The review has been used in the past to block foreign takeovers of MDA and Potash Corp. more »
Lang & O'Leary Exchange
Markets
| Index | Last Trade | Change |
|---|---|---|
| TSX COMPOSITE | 11576.47 | 10.4 |
| DOW | 12454.83 | -74.92 |
| NASDAQ | 2837.53 | -1.85 |
| SP 500 | 1317.82 | -2.86 |
| NYSE COMPOSITE | 7534.32 | -18.01 |
| AMEX | 2227.37 | 1.45 |
| TSX-VENTURE | 1309.27 | 26.8 |
The data on this site is informational only and may be delayed; it is not intended as trading or investment advice and you should not rely on it as such.
Business Features
- Accused in blast that killed Alberta mom handled her funds
- Remains found in bag on Cape Breton river ID'd
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Quebec students, government to resume talks
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- Lip-dub marriage proposal an internet hit
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Calgary Marathon winner breaks 21-year-old record
