Summary
HSBC Holdings has warned over 180,000 MasterCard holders who used their cards to make a Polo Ralph Lauren purchase that their credit card information may have been stolen. ChoicePoint and LexisNexis have also disclosed that their databases have been exposed to theft, and that thousands have been victimized. In light of the escalating identity theft incidents involving thousands – and even hundreds of thousand of people – many people around 20 states are calling for legislation regarding security of personal information.
Original source:
http://news.com.com/Some+MasterCard+holders+exposed+to+data+theft/2100-7348_3-5670509.html?tag=nefd.top
Details
Global bank HSBC Holdings is notifying at least 180,000 people who used MasterCard credit cards to make purchases at Polo Ralph Lauren that criminals may have obtained access to their credit card information, and that they should replace their cards, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The situation involves a General Motors-branded card, the Journal reported.
HSBC's U.K. office was not immediately available to comment.
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile cases in which personal data were stolen from retailers or financial institutions.
More than 20 U.S. states are considering legislation after data security scandals involving ChoicePoint and LexisNexis.
ChoicePoint, a data collection company, said in February that data on 145,000 people was stolen from its consumer database, resulting in at least 750 cases of identity theft.
LexisNexis said in March that an intrusion into its Seisint databases may have compromised personal information on about 32,000 people--then this week it upped the estimate to 310,000.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has authored and published several downloadable personal preparedness courses including a downloadable course focused on safety and self defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body.
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Monday, April 25, 2005
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