CHARLOTTE, NC — We know more than 60 million Home Depot customers may be compromised. Hackers had access to Home Depot’s computers–unnoticed–for about five months.
Retailers, banks and card companies say technology is coming to help make transactions more secure, but will that be enough?
It could be the biggest breach ever.
“Right now you don’t really know what’s safe, and what’s not safe,” says SouthPark resident Anthony Cannon. “I mean it’s all over the news about Home Depot.”
Home Depot says it’s working with the Secret Service to determine the scope of the hack. But agent Glen Kessler feels technology is benefiting cyber thieves.
“To make it easier for the consumer is a lot of times making it easier for the suspects,” says Kessler
“Some of these hackers are way ahead of us,” says Anthony Cannon. “And it’s scary.”
It’s the latest data breach in a string of these for major retailers. And a lot of people feel that no matter what we’re told to do protect our credit information–it’s just not working. Maybe it’s time to go back to using cash.
“Now I’m beginning to think maybe I should use cash,” says SouthPark resident Georgia Cannon. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
And it’s not just the big stores.
Anthony and Georgia Cannon took a trip to Tennessee. They stopped to eat along the way, paying with a credit card.
“Just so happens that Bank of America called us on the phone and said, ‘Well, your account has been breached,'” says Anthony. “Somebody at that restaurant had swiped your card without you knowing it. When we got home they had frozen our account. So it can happen.”
The Secret Service says it happens here in Charlotte all the time. Skimmers cloning your card, then crooks selling your credit information.
“Several of these devices a year that are being used by suspects in the Charlotte area,” says Agent Kessler. “Sometimes even on ATM machines. Sometimes at gas pumps.”
The criminals are getting smarter. It’s up to you to protect yourself.
“You have to pay a lot of scrutiny to your bills as the consumer,” says Kessler. “Otherwise thirty days goes by and you don’t realize you just bought ten iPads.”
Home Depot is offering free identity protection and credit monitoring to anyone who shopped there since April.
The company plans to replace its card swiping terminals with machines that accept the more secure chip-enabled cards.
