Jewel-Osco Warns Customers Of Data Breach
By Todd Feurer
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Officials at Jewel-Osco were warning customers of a data breach that might have given hackers access to credit card and debit card information, but said there is no evidence the data has been misused.
Jewel's parent company, AB Acquisition, said the unauthorized access of customer data might have started as early as June 22, and ended as late as July 17.
"Third-party data forensics experts are supporting an ongoing investigation. AB Acquisition has not determined that any cardholder data was in fact stolen, and currently it has no evidence of any misuse of any such data," the company said in a statement on its website. "AB Acquisition believes that the intrusion has been contained and is confident that its customers can safely use their credit and debit cards in its stores."
The company said the data breach appeared to impact Jewel-Osco stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa; Albertsons stores in California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and Shaw's and Star Markets stores in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
"We know our customers are concerned about the security of their payment card data, and we work hard to protect it," said Mark Bates, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at AB Acquisition LLC. "As soon as we were notified of the incident, we began working closely with SUPERVALU to determine what happened. It's important to note that there is no evidence at this point that consumer data has been misused."
The company said customers whose credit or debit cards might have been affected can get 12 months of free consumer identity protection services through AllClear ID by calling 855-865-4449 beginning 3 p.m. Chicago time on Friday.
For more information on the data breach, click here.
AB Acquisition encouraged customers to monitor their credit reports, and their credit card and debit card statements. Customers also can place a fraud alert on their credit report by contacting the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
888-766-0008
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
888-397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
800-680-7289
www.transunion.com