February 19, 2003

Eight million credit card numbers stolen Edmonton Sun - An "unauthorized intruder" gained access to eight million credit card account numbers - including Visa, MasterCard and American Express - by breaching the security of a company that processes transactions for merchants, the card companies said yesterday. And more than 100,000 card numbers held by Canadians may be affected, though cardholders are protected against unauthorized use. Visa said there had been no sign of fraudulent activity involving the accounts, and the card association is monitoring the situation. FBI investigates massive breach of credit card security The Globe and Mail - The FBI is investigating how a hacker accessed the account numbers of about eight million credit card holders across North America, including at least 100,000 Canadians. Experts said Tuesday it is unclear what information may have been taken, but noted this is the largest breach of credit card security ever. 9:41:06 PM