WARNING FROM WINNERS

Shoppers searching for a good deal may have gotten more than they bargained for: their personal credit and debit information stolen.

Hackers have found their way into the files of Winners and HomeSense stores.

One Edmonton shopper told the News Hour, “I know somebody who has had that happen to them and it destroys a life, so yeah, I would hate to see my information hacked into.”

The retailers’ U.S. parent company, TJX, noticed the hack in mid-December. More than two million Canadians may have potentially been exposed to fraud. TJX says it’s now strengthening security systems, so shoppers should feel safe.

Sibeal McCourt with Retail Alberta says TJX has to “have full-time security, constantly monitoring internal threats.”

She says larger stores, like Winners and HomeSense, hold onto customer information longer, describing that as the dark side of big box retailing. “You have 90 days to return (merchandise). That means they’re holding information for certainly 90 days (at least), so you need to know where that information is and how that info is being held.”

Det. Bob Gauthier of the Edmonton Police Service’s Economic Crimes Unit has arrested credit and debit hackers in our city. “(These crimes) happen all the time, more than you can ever imagine, and this is only the stuff we’re hearing about.”

He says shoppers must always check their statements. “Watch your bills all the time for unauthorized charges. Often it’s a small charge, to an internet line to a phone company. If you see that and you didn’t do it, it’s the bad guys checking to find out if that credit number works.”

TJX is asking you to do the same, so customers don’t pay the price for a security breach.

TJX, the company that owns Winners and HomeSense, has set up a consumer help line: 1-866-903-1408.

There is also more information on the TJX website: http://www.tjx.com/tjx_message.html.

The Alberta Privacy Commission is monitoring the investigation, watching to see what the company is going to do to protect consumers now, and in the future.