New Flash

San Diego, CA, January 18, 2014 Target Breach of Security: What consumers should do now! A preliminary analysis of the breach of security involving the apparent theft of personal information and PIN numbers from more than 70 million customers of Target stores now appears to be expanding to other retailers and affecting over 110 million consumers, says the non-profit Institute of Consumer Financial Education (ICFE), based in San Diego, CA. The breach now goes beyond holders of Target Stores credit cards, and beyond those customers who engaged in retail transactions with Target during the past few months. It may even affect any consumer who has submitted personally identifiable information (“PII”) to the Target organization and many other retailers at any time. Despite retailer's pledge that consumers will be indemnified from any potential losses involving the card numbers stolen in the Target incident, it doesn't stop the anguish and potential losses of time required to uncover and then recover from identity theft, which can extend to all credit accounts. One major issuer, Chase, has announced it will be sending replacement credit/debit cards to those affected consumers. The ICFE is urging those consumers who are also customers or have been customers of Target, TJ Maxx and Neiman Marcus to check their accounts daily for any suspicious activity. In addition they may want to contact their card issuer and request new debit/credit cards and PIN numbers for added peace of mind. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Data thefts and breaches, such as the incident involving Target customers, are also increasing the number of unsuspecting consumers who are at risk. Authorities are reporting that many more retailers and online merchants may also be infected by a malware virus infecting their payment processing systems, raising the potential victims by about another 70 million cardholders. The ICFE is the publisher and certifying authority of the Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS®) credential. Holders of the CITRMS® including military financial counselors, now numbering in the thousands across the nation, recognize the urgent necessity for potentially affected consumers to take action to minimize the risk of adverse consequences of this breach and stand ready to help, including a complimentary data breach evaluation. While it may be foreseeable that legal rights may have been affected, and legal remedies may be sought, ICFE’s position is that it is preferable for consumers to avoid damage from such breaches, rather than relying solely upon remediation at the expense of the breached organization. Consultation with an ICFE Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist is advisable. A state by state Directory of CITRMS® individuals is provided at the ICFE web site – www.icfe.org. To access ICFE web site click link above, from the home page select directory, you will see map, select New York State. # # # For more information contact: Gerald Jackson, Director of 24th Millennium Corp. (646) 730-4098 or email at mil24thnx@netscape.net