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Jul 27, 2009 6:22 pm US/Eastern
TJX Settles Suit Over Credit Card Security Breach
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
The state announced a $9.75 million dollar settlement with Massachusetts discount retailer, TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshall's.
The settlement comes after a 40-state investigation into a security breach at T.J. Maxx and Marshall's that put as many as 45 million customers at risk of credit card fraud and identity theft.
When you swipe your credit card or debit card, you assume the retailer is protecting your personal information, but as millions of T.J. Maxx and Marshall customers found out, that isn't always so.
Although customers weren't aware of the problem until January 2007, TJX said the security problem began at least 18 months earlier.
Today Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett called it the largest security breach ever reported.
"Every time someone used a credit card or debit card at a store operated by TJX," said Corbett, "their information was furnished directly to hackers, compromising the accounts of millions of consumers."
TJX agreed to the multi-million dollar settlement to resolve allegations that it knew of problems in its computer network and failed to take sufficient steps to protect customer information.
Pennsylvania's share of the settlement was $450,000 for consumer protection and education programs along with a $2.5 million dollar national fund to investigate future security breaches.
"They should pay," said Delores Lewis of Pittsburgh. "They should because no one is entitled to your information."
"It'll be a good thing for the consumer," said Sheryl Paul of Cheswick. "I think it'd be a way to keep them educated and help it from happening again."
Roxanne Edinger of Butler thinks consumers should get some money out of this.
Although this settlement doesn't put money in consumer's pockets, it does send a message to companies that they are responsible for protecting our private information.
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