Costco Wholesale Corporation has notified its customers of a data breach that might have exposed their payment card information.
- Costco discovered a card skimmer at one of its Canadian warehouses.
- Customers who swiped their cards on the compromised terminal during the relevant period were notified.
- The unauthorised parties may have obtained payment information, including customer name, card number, card expiration date and CVV.
Costco Wholesale Corporation has notified its customers of a data breach that might have exposed their payment card information.
Costco is an American multinational company that operates a large chain of membership-only retail stores across the U.S. It is the fifth-largest retailer in the world and the 10th-largest corporation in the country by total revenue. The company also operates eCommerce websites for shoppers in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
Costco discovered the security breach after finding a payment card skimming device in one of its warehouses during a routine check conducted by Costco personnel.
The company removed the device, notified the authorities, and investigated the incident with law enforcement agents.
“We recently discovered a payment card skimming device at a Costco warehouse you recently visited,” reads the notification letter sent to potentially impacted customers.
“Our member records indicate that you swiped your payment card to make a purchase at the affected terminal during the time the device may have been operating.”
“If unauthorised parties were able to remove information from the device before it was discovered, they might have acquired the magnetic stripe of your payment card, including your name, card number, card expiration date, and CVV," Costco revealed.
Costco customers have been complaining about unauthorised transactions on their payment cards since February 2021.
The company advises customers to monitor their bank accounts and credit card statements for fraudulent activities.
At this time, it is still not clear the extent of the security breach, the company did not reveal the number of potentially affected individuals nor the warehouse where the skimmer device was discovered.
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