March 10, 2005 - (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – On the heels of the LexisNexis data base hacking, that saw 32,000 people’s records including social security number, driver’s license number, name, and address, Retail Ventures yesterday announced that credit card and purchase data of customers at 103 of its DSW Shoe Warehouse stores has been stolen and apparently used for fraudulent activity.
This is the second data base hacking crime to ferret out customer’s personal data and follows the ChoicePoint scandal that saw ChoicePoint sell half a million records to criminals posing as legitimate customers and the Bank of America theft of back-up data base tapes filled with customer information.
Columbus, Ohio-based Retail Ventures said customer data was stolen mainly over the past three months, though it was unable to say how many customers were affected. It said it discovered the theft late last week.
"Credit card companies have alerted us there is some fraudulent activity," said Julie Davis, general counsel for Retail Ventures.
Davis said Retail Ventures believes a hacker conducted the theft, and that only the stolen credit card data put customers at risk of fraudulent activity.
Retail Ventures is reviewing its technology systems and working with credit card companies and issuers to address the matter. It set up a hot line for customers with questions: 800-314-0224.
