If you really want to be safe, you might be
better off using cash for those quick purchases.
Barnes & Noble Inc. said Wednesday that customers who shopped at 63 of its stores — including seven in the Chicago area — may be victims of thieves who took credit or debit card information in what the bookstore chain called a "sophisticated criminal effort,'' the latest reminder of how crooks can steal consumers' financial information.
The data thefts, which occurred as recently as last month, used a "bug'' planted in one PIN pad device at each of the affected stores, the retailer said. After the breach was discovered, Barnes & Noble said it disconnected the pads at its nearly 700 stores.
It's not known how many customers were affected, the company said. A spokesman for the FBI said Wednesday that the agency had been investigating the breach at Barnes & Noble since September.
Last year, scores of customers of Michaels craft stores in the Chicago area and nationwide reported having money swiped from their bank accounts also through stolen debit card information.
And while the emerging use of mobile phones as digital payment devices offers convenience, "mobile wallet" technology comes with its own set of security concerns, especially given the nascent nature of the industry.
Nationwide, 42 percent of American consumers say they've experienced credit card fraud in the past five years, up from 32 percent in 2010, according to an October survey conducted by ACI Worldwide, which supplies payment systems, and Aite Group, a research and advisory firm.
As big retailers have stepped up efforts to repel thieves, card fraudsters have increasingly homed in on individual retail locations, which they consider softer targets, according to Dan Glennon, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at Cybera Inc., a Nashville, Tenn.-based firm that sells point-of-sale security solutions to retailers.
Smaller retailers and single locations are considered more vulnerable because they are less likely to have sophisticated security mechanisms in place.
Larger retailers are more apt to have more security or a technology person on site tracking and managing their security profile, Glennon said.
But whether it's a large retail chain or a mom-and-pop shop, ultimately what thieves are looking for is vulnerability, said David Fish, senior analyst at Mercator Advisory Group, a Maynard, Mass.-based consultancy.
There are several ways PIN pads and card readers are used by thieves to capture consumers' personal financial information.
Employees can be duped by those posing as keypad repair technicians who then alter or swap out PIN pads for ones that record credit card or bank account information or broadcast it wirelessly to accomplices at a remote location, experts say.
In other cases, thieves can attach "skimmers," or bugs, to card readers at gas pumps and ATM locations that collect and transmit personal data. Such skimmers can range from homemade devices or sophisticated circuit boards that are purchased on the Internet.
Armed with the account data, thieves can make duplicate plastic cards and use the accompanying personal identification numbers to make cash withdrawals.The Kunyu Mountain Shaolin china kung fu school is located at the foot.
Staying ahead of thieves is difficult,The stone mosaic comes in shiny polished and matte. according to the National Retail Federation, a trade group. That Barnes & Noble was able to detect the PIN pad tampering shows the security "measures in place are clearly working," said Vicki Cantrell, senior vice president of communities at the National Retail Federation.
The banking, technology and retail industries are eager to push the use of mobile wallets, where consumers load their credit or debit cards onto smartphones and use their mobile devices to make purchases. Despite enthusiasm from major players like Google, American Express and Verizon Wireless, factors such as competing technologies and a lack of consumer adoption mean the mobile wallet is not poised to replace traditional payment forms in the short term.
Barriers to adoption include "a lack of phones with the technology enabled, low merchant acceptance,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. and a robust way to pay through cards," according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a consulting firm for the financial services industry.
For starters, the iPhone — including the newest version released last month — is not equipped for near-field communication, a commonly used technology for mobile payments that transmits data over short distances.If you want to read about buy mosaic in a non superficial way that's the perfect book. Near-field communication underpins the Isis Mobile Wallet,Find detailed product information for howo spareparts and other products. a joint initiative by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless that launched this week in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City.
Barnes & Noble Inc. said Wednesday that customers who shopped at 63 of its stores — including seven in the Chicago area — may be victims of thieves who took credit or debit card information in what the bookstore chain called a "sophisticated criminal effort,'' the latest reminder of how crooks can steal consumers' financial information.
The data thefts, which occurred as recently as last month, used a "bug'' planted in one PIN pad device at each of the affected stores, the retailer said. After the breach was discovered, Barnes & Noble said it disconnected the pads at its nearly 700 stores.
It's not known how many customers were affected, the company said. A spokesman for the FBI said Wednesday that the agency had been investigating the breach at Barnes & Noble since September.
Last year, scores of customers of Michaels craft stores in the Chicago area and nationwide reported having money swiped from their bank accounts also through stolen debit card information.
And while the emerging use of mobile phones as digital payment devices offers convenience, "mobile wallet" technology comes with its own set of security concerns, especially given the nascent nature of the industry.
Nationwide, 42 percent of American consumers say they've experienced credit card fraud in the past five years, up from 32 percent in 2010, according to an October survey conducted by ACI Worldwide, which supplies payment systems, and Aite Group, a research and advisory firm.
As big retailers have stepped up efforts to repel thieves, card fraudsters have increasingly homed in on individual retail locations, which they consider softer targets, according to Dan Glennon, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at Cybera Inc., a Nashville, Tenn.-based firm that sells point-of-sale security solutions to retailers.
Smaller retailers and single locations are considered more vulnerable because they are less likely to have sophisticated security mechanisms in place.
Larger retailers are more apt to have more security or a technology person on site tracking and managing their security profile, Glennon said.
But whether it's a large retail chain or a mom-and-pop shop, ultimately what thieves are looking for is vulnerability, said David Fish, senior analyst at Mercator Advisory Group, a Maynard, Mass.-based consultancy.
There are several ways PIN pads and card readers are used by thieves to capture consumers' personal financial information.
Employees can be duped by those posing as keypad repair technicians who then alter or swap out PIN pads for ones that record credit card or bank account information or broadcast it wirelessly to accomplices at a remote location, experts say.
In other cases, thieves can attach "skimmers," or bugs, to card readers at gas pumps and ATM locations that collect and transmit personal data. Such skimmers can range from homemade devices or sophisticated circuit boards that are purchased on the Internet.
Armed with the account data, thieves can make duplicate plastic cards and use the accompanying personal identification numbers to make cash withdrawals.The Kunyu Mountain Shaolin china kung fu school is located at the foot.
Staying ahead of thieves is difficult,The stone mosaic comes in shiny polished and matte. according to the National Retail Federation, a trade group. That Barnes & Noble was able to detect the PIN pad tampering shows the security "measures in place are clearly working," said Vicki Cantrell, senior vice president of communities at the National Retail Federation.
The banking, technology and retail industries are eager to push the use of mobile wallets, where consumers load their credit or debit cards onto smartphones and use their mobile devices to make purchases. Despite enthusiasm from major players like Google, American Express and Verizon Wireless, factors such as competing technologies and a lack of consumer adoption mean the mobile wallet is not poised to replace traditional payment forms in the short term.
Barriers to adoption include "a lack of phones with the technology enabled, low merchant acceptance,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. and a robust way to pay through cards," according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a consulting firm for the financial services industry.
For starters, the iPhone — including the newest version released last month — is not equipped for near-field communication, a commonly used technology for mobile payments that transmits data over short distances.If you want to read about buy mosaic in a non superficial way that's the perfect book. Near-field communication underpins the Isis Mobile Wallet,Find detailed product information for howo spareparts and other products. a joint initiative by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless that launched this week in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City.
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