"It was my debit card that was compromised at Target," customer Anna Green said. On Friday Target announced that Green, along with 70 to 110 million of its customers, had their personal information stolen as well. Now thieves can open up more accounts under their names. Green says she still shops there, but she uses cash instead.
"But yes, I have lost my faith in Target somewhat," she said.
Also Friday, Neiman Marcus confirmed that unauthorized customer card activity has been taking place since mid-December.
Neiman Marcus doesn't know the scope of the breach, but on Friday it said, "We have begun to contain the intrusion and have taken significant steps to further enhance information security."
Lana Gardi says she hasn't heard from the store yet.
"I wish they did because if they didn't I feel like I need to know. I need to know. Definitely I need to know," Gardi said.
"I worry about actually shopping at many places if this is gonna keep happening, if we're gonna be compromised so often all the time with such sensitive information," Target customer Latrice Brown said.
"Retailers need to take more seriously the challenges of information security," David Thaw said in a phone interview.
Thaw is an expert in cyber security at the University of Connecticut. He says most major retail stores only have one person protecting all of their consumer information.
"And while some industries such as finance and healthcare are taking steps to address these problems, the retail industry is substantially behind the curve," he said.
And until the retail industry takes cyber security more seriously, Thaw says more consumers will end up getting robbed.
Seven On Your Side's Michael Finney offers these tips, to make sure your accounts are secure.
* Check your credit card statements for any fraudulent charges.
* Go to annualcreditreport.com to get a free credit report and look for anything suspicious.
* Call your credit card company immediately to contest any unwarranted charges.
* Contact the credit reporting bureaus and file a fraud report.
* Report any crimes to local police and the Federal Trade Commission.
For more tips, click here.
